VOLUME 25 (#145-150)Michonne reacts to seeing Ezekiel’s head. She attacks Lydia and threatens her. Lydia promises that she had no idea this was happening. The Whisperers have never come across a group as big as theirs before. She thinks Alpha is afraid of them. Michonne goes to stab Ezekiel’s head, but Rick stops her. He tries to calm her down while Andrea does it. Michonne wants to get everyone and go to war, but Rick knows they can’t do that without thinking it through clearly. They are to bury the heads, but leave the posts to keep people from crossing until they know what they are up against. Rick and Andrea announce to everyone what has happened.

No one is happy with the “wait it out” plan, but Rick has to keep everyone calm to keep them from doing something stupid. When Maggie admits she executed Gregory, he says that she is undermining everything he has worked for. She explains that she couldn’t allow Gregory to keep running around turning people against her. Rick punches her and she punches him back. She reminds him that if Carl hand’t gone after Lydia, they wouldn’t have had this issue in the first place. They decide to cool down overnight and resume the conversation in the morning. Eugene is waiting for Rick at his house when he gets home. He explains that Rosita’s baby wasn’t his, but he couldn’t live without her. He is a smart man and he says they can wait until they are informed and ready, but they will have to make the Whisperers pay. Eugene gets excited about using Lydia as a bargaining chip.

Eugene doesn’t care if Alpha calls his bluff and they have to kill her. Andrea asks him to leave and he says he is done anyway. Andrea convinces Rick to let her take Carl and Lydia to the Hilltop. He agrees and they go to wake up the kids to get them ready to go. After they are gone, Rick finds Michonne sneaking around his house with her sword. She has been hearing the chatter around Alexandria and wanted to get Lydia to safety. Rick stops her from leaving and talks to her about his life and how he has to live with the regrets and guilt everyday. She cries and he tries to convince her she should find happiness and hold onto it. As Andrea takes Carl and Lydia to the Hilltop, Lydia becomes confused as to why they have to leave. Andrea tries to explain that people are upset because of what her mother did. Lydia pulls a gun on Andrea.

Andrea pulls out her own gun. Carl does the same and points it at Andrea first and then Lydia. They are able to calm her down and reassure Lydia that they only want to keep her safe. A man on patrol finds Alpha crying. She kills him so he can’t spread word of her weakness. Dwight arrives back at the factory. He wants to quit being their leader because their is too much pressure. The woman next to him, Laura, tells him he can’t because they need him now. The people in Alexandria are riled up with fear and anger. They want to attack right away, but Rick tells them they need to be smart about it. He wants to send in a team to gather information without being seen. The people gathered start to fight each other. Rick stops them by firing a shot and saying he will shoot the next person to throw a punch. He sends them home to cool off. He goes to Negan for help.

Rick tells him he just wants to talk to him about the situation when Negan gets a little too excited. Dwight tells Laura that he is leaving. She tries to tell him that he is the only thing that is keeping their people from returning to Negan’s ways because they don’t trust Rick. She tells him that Diane is a waste of his time and kisses him. He is still determined to leave. Andrea gets Carl and Lydia to the Hilltop. She tells the guard to let her know if anyone comes looking for her and to tell anyone that asks that she isn’t there. Lydia apologizes to Carl again for pulling a gun on his mom. She finds it hard to trust him because he is the first person to care about her. Maggie is patiently waiting for answers so she can return her people to the Hilltop. Negan asks Rick if he set up the Whisperers to keep his people united, wishing he would have had something like it when he lead his own people. When Rick says he isn’t behind it, Negan encourages him to use it to his advantage. The people don’t necessarily want action, but security. He doesn’t have to lie to them directly, but can use the situation to manipulate them into safety. Rick says he can work with that. Vincent blames Rick for everything that has happened since he took over Alexandria. His wife, Julia calms him down and helps him realize that isn’t true. They were both so focused on keeping their son, Josh, alive that now they have nowhere to focus their energy but hatred. A couple comes to their door. Rick goes to talk to Eugene. He has a plan: start an army. They will start selecting people from the communities to form a militia and use Eugene’s stored bullets from the factory to train them. As Dwight packs to leave, he grabs Lucille. He grabs a horse and takes off. Laura goes with him.

Rick finishes his talk with Eugene about the army and then starts to head home saying they will start in the morning. Morton and Vincent come up behind him to scare him into action against the Whisperers. Morton starts to attack him and Vincent tries to stop him. Morton is convinced they have to kill Rick because he saw their faces. Vincent tries to stop Morton, but gets knocked to the ground. When Morton goes after Rick again, Rick bites him and takes out a huge chunk of his neck to allow him to bleed to death. Andrea walks in on Carl and Lydia having sex and decides to sneak away from the situation rather than confronting them. Maggie finds Rick and gets him to the doctor. He tells Michonne she has to find Vincent and she goes out to chase down the man who is getting away on a horse with a woman. Rick is still covered in blood when he addresses the community. He tells them he was attacked by two of their own. Dwight and Laura walk in during Rick’s speech. Rick explains they can’t afford to go backwards to what it was before they created a wonderful, safe community. He tells them they are going to form a dedicated military to kill the Whisperers. Michonne brings in Vincent, who tries to explain what happened. Rick says he isn’t going to kill him because they need everyone to band together.

VOLUME 26 (#151-156)Rick and Dwight lead a group in attacking roamers that surround them out in a field. Dwight is constantly telling people how to respond to the changing situation. Afterwards, Rick tells Dwight he is a leader whether he wants to be or not. Rick is a liability out on the field and Dwight obviously has some military training and the trust of the soldiers. They need Dwight to step up and lead the army. Eugene is working on a two way radio. Maggie and her group are packing up to leave the next day. Jesus is staying behind, but Rick knows they will need more people. Maggie says she will send what she can when she gets back. Rick tells her to let Carl and Lydia know they are both welcomed back in Alexandria. Vincent catches up with Rick as he is walking to thank him for sparing his life. Rick tells him he will make up for his actions by all the good he will do in the military. Rick quickly checks on Negan and leaves him without even making it all the way down the stairs. Father Gabriel asks Rick to start training with the army and Rick accepts. Rick makes it back home to find Michonne packed and ready to go. He tells her Pete doesn’t need her making runs on his ship. The Kingdom needs her. She tells him she has been thinking the same for a while and just needed the push to go. Rick is glad he will be working with people he trusts and they contemplate who should lead the Saviors. Eugene keeps trying to find someone over his radio. He is shocked when someone actually answers.

Eugene talks with the stranger over the radio and immediately asks where they are. The stranger points out that it will take them time to build up trust. Eugene admits that he is with a group in a community that they have easily defended several times. The stranger says he is also with a group, one larger than the 50 Eugene reports. They agree not to deal with anyone except each other. Laura is impressed with how quickly Dwight was able to train Gabriel, but Dwight is unsure Gabriel will be able to handle shooting actual people rather than the dead. Rick runs into Brandon on the road, and Brandon attacks him. After a few punches, Rick overpowers him. Brandon is upset because Rick killed his father, but Rick points out all the people his parents tried to kill (him, Maggie, hit Carl in the head with a brick). Michonne comes along and Rick stops. He tells Brandon he is on probation and if he tries anything, he will kill him. Gabriel goes to the church to ask forgiveness for being a killer. Brandon goes to Negan. He offers to free him if he will help Brandon get to the Whisperers to warn them about Rick’s army starting a war in hopes they will all kill each other. Negan says he has to think about the offer. Rick has people painting, “Silence the Whisperers” on the walls to keep peoples’ fury directed. Michonne is uncertain about the tactic. A woman comes rushing up to tell them the keys to the jail cell are gone. Michonne runs head and when Rick catches up, they see Negan is gone.

People are wondering why Rick is asking about the gate. Annie and Siddiq confirms no one has been out since Maggie’s group left for the Hilltop. Rick thinks Negan is snuck out with them. Brandon slips out of the convoy lead by Dante. He meets Negan a bit into the woods and gives him his jacket and belt. Negan decides he is in charge and tells Brandon to point him in the right direction. Rick meets with Aaron and Michonne. They think Negan will head to the Whisperers to try to get revenge on Rick. Aaron and Michonne prepare to leave to kill him before he gets there. They plan to keep the situation quite. Eugene talks to the man on the radio until someone is shot outside. He runs out to find an Alexandrian didn’t recognizes and shot a Hilltop person, Marco, that stayed behind to help. Dwight is out training his group for the army and it doesn’t go well. He points out they will have to be sneakier to get the jump on the Whisperers. Laura asks if he should give up Lucile, but Dwight points out he wants to change the meaning of it and prevent it from becoming a king’s scepter at the Sanctuary. Magma’s group is among Dwight’s trainees. Though they have been at Alexandria for months, Connie and Kelly don’t feel like part of the community. Magma tries to remind them how bad it was out on their own, but they don’t seem convinced risking their lives to save Alexandria from the Whisperers is the best choice. Michonne and Aaron find Negan and Brandon’s trail and try to catch up on horseback. Brandon is complaining and starts to cry when they get to the border Alpha warned them against crossing. He is upset the Whisperers killed his mother and Rick killed his father. Negan kills him and goes on with his own plan in mind.

Maggie has ridden ahead of the group to scout out a place to camp for the night when she runs into Andrea on her way back to Alexandria from the Hilltop. Andrea decides to stay with them instead of riding through the night. Michonne and Aaron find Brandon’s body and leave it to continue going after Negan. In the middle of what used to be a town, Negan speaks up to call out the Whisperers. He tells them he wants to join them. Beta isn’t sure Negan can be quiet enough to be with them, but doesn’t want to fight him either. They take his knife and tell him to come with them. Eugene tells the person on the other end of the radio about the Whisperers and how they killed his pregnant girlfriend. The other person says her name is Stephanie. Andrea returns to Alexandria and Siddiq sends her to Rick to get filled in on what has been happening. Michonne tries to talk to Aaron about maybe dating Jesus, but he isn’t really interested. They are attacked by Whisperers. Michonne tries to explain they are just after a dangerous fugitive, but they don’t care and start fighting them. Negan enters the Whisperer’s camp and is taken to Alpha. He says he is in love when he sees her.

Michonne and Aaron continue to fight Beta’s team of Whisperers, but Aaron is hurt in the process. Dwight shows up with his men and starts shooting them. The Whisperers that survive, including Beta, run away into the woods. He sends Michonne to the Hilltop to get Aaron help. Michonne asks Dwight to hunt him down. He appeases her and then decides doing that would only make matters worse. Andrea is furious about the messages painted all over Alexandria. Rick explains he needed the people to stop being angry at him and direct it elsewhere. She isn’t comfortable with him manipulating people. Negan tries to hit on Alpha, but she just gets annoyed and punches him. Beta shows up to inform Alpha that Negan lied about not knowing who they were. Negan admits it and says he thinks he can be useful to them. Siddiq watches the wall. Carl wakes up to Lydia watching him and she thanks him for making her happy. Maggie talks to Brianna about sending a rider to Alexandria for an update when Michonne arrives with Aaron who isn’t breathing. Dwight hurries his troops out of Whisperer territory knowing that they have started a war because they were not only seen there, but they attacked the Whisperers.

Beta is furious that Alpha is letting Negan not only survive but also join their group. He questions her and she asks if he is challenging her. He backs down and apologizes. Alpha sends him away. She tells Negan he can stay, but she doesn’t think he’ll survive. He asks when he will get a skin suit, and she tells him when he earns it. Negan is noisy and he goes on with life as a Whisperer. Most of the group ignores him. When he is attacked by zombies, they leave him to deal with it on his own. He brings them two fresh bodies and they are impressed with his strength. When he makes his way back out to the edge of the group, he finds two men trying to rape a woman. He stops them. Beta takes him to be punished. Alpha explains Negan took away the girls ability to show that she is strong. She sends him to sleep outside the group for the night. Negan is laying in a field when Alpha approaches him. He tells her he lost someone before the world ended and hasn’t felt anything since. He points out that protecting the weak is what makes them civilized. Alpha agrees that they are animals, but admits her ways didn’t make her daughter strong as the tears come. Negan tell her she can’t bottle up her emotions and pretend they don’t exist. Then he slits her throat and holds her until she dies. He plans to take the head to Rick.

VOLUME 27 (157-162)Negan arrives and surrenders to Dwight and his small crew keeping watch. Dwight tells the woman holding the rifle to shoot him, but she refuses. Dwight is positive they should shoot him, but they all agree Rick will want to hear Negan’s story. Beta finds Alpha’s body. He declares there won’t be a new Alpha. They will live by her wisdom and wage war for revenge. Negan tells Rick he wants to be trusted and a part of the community. He tells him how he got out, where he went and what he did. He presents Alpha’s head to Rick and Andrea. Rick offers him a isolated position at an outpost if he stays loyal through the war. Negan agrees to Rick’s terms. Rick goes to Dwight to talk to him about the war. Soldiers are coming in from the Hilltop and Kingdom to help. He expects the Whisperers will come to them and Dwight is in charge of holding them off. Dwight questions whether or not they can trust what Negan has told them. Rick points out they don’t have a choice and Negan hasn’t turned on them yet. He asks Dwight to watch him and shoot him if something goes wrong. Jesus visits AaronZa in the hospital. Alex comes in and points out the sexual tension between them, and Jesus leaves. Maggie has her troops ready to send along to Alexandria. Carl and Lydia want to go, but Michonne tells them they are needed at the Hilltop to protect Maggie. Dwight starts handing out positions for war. Negan stands in the corner because Dwight won’t let him out of his sight. Zachary tries to convince William that he doesn’t need to send the Kingdom’s men to Alexandria. He points out that some might follow Michonne, but the people are looking to him to lead. Eugene tells Stephanie they are just outside of Washington DC. She tells him her group is in Ohio. In the privacy of their home, Rick wonders if he is making the right choice by trusting Negan. Andrea tells him not to second guess himself so much. Dwight gets his men in position. Magna signals she is ready as well. Gabriel gets to the top of the water tower and sees the Whisperers and their herd approaching.

In his rush to warn the others, Gabriel falls from the water tower and catches his leg on a ladder rung. Beta comes and slices him open to leave him for the zombies. Richard arrives at the Savior’s camp, but they refuse to send help. They say their alliance ended when Dwight left. They take his horse and send him off. William has what men he didn’t send to Rick watching the Kingdom. Zachary doesn’t agree and says William will regret dismissing him. Dwight sees the approaching Whisperer’s and tells everyone to get ready. He refuses to give Negan a gun. The fighting starts and the Whisperers appear from within the herd to kill Dwight’s men. They have to fall back to a new position. Magma’s team flanks the herd while the warriors from the kingdom also help out. Negan is able to grab a gun from a fallen soldier and starts helping out. Dwight is shocked by how many Whisperers there are. Maggie has feelings for Dante. Lydia tells Carl it won’t matter if they see the Whisperers coming because of how large the group is. Eugene goes to the factory to speed up production. Aaron starts trying to walk again. Siddiq goes to Pete (ship captain) for men, but he can’t spare any. Rick takes Andrea lunch while she watches the walls of Alexandria. Jesus asks Michonne about Aaron. She is thrilled to hear he is interested, but he points out they have to survive the war first. They join the battle. Beta is killing men so they become part of their herd. He almost gets Dwight, but Negan comes to the rescue. He promises he is going to kill Beta.

Negan and Beta start to fight. Dwight tosses Lucille to Negan. Michonne, Jesus, and the rest of the group continue to fight the Whisperers. Lucille breaks and Negan is covered in zombies as Beta gets away with the help from other Whisperers. The Whisperers are held back, and Dwight is ready to regroup their own forces. The horde starts making its way out of the woods towards them. Meanwhile, a few Whisperers rest so they can get Beta to safety. One wonders what his face looks like and goes to take off his mask. Beta stabs him through the mouth. Dwight decides they will divide into four groups (led by Jesus, Michonne, Magna, and himself) and lead parts of the herd away and regroup at their fallback position. Lydia tells Carl the Whisperers have an advantage over their group because they don’t care about others. She tells Carl she doesn’t love him or think of him “that way.” He thinks she is only telling him this because she thinks the war will end badly. Eugene continues to teach people how to make bullets. Rick tries to feel useful by looking for some advantage over the Whisperers. Aaron ignores Dr. Carson’s bed-rest order so he doesn’t feel useless. IN the Kingdom, William threatens Zachary with a knife. He warns him not to threaten him again. The Whisperers are surprised when they find their herd separated. Dwight starts picking them off so they can strip them of their skins and wear them themselves.

Heath finds Vincent struggling onward and rides in to save him and take him home. Following Dwight’s plan, Michonne and her group wander into their piece of the herd and start quietly killing the Whisperers and the dead. Beta wakes up and demands to be taken back to the front lines. Vincent has been followed from the Sanctuary. William runs into Taylor while walking around the Kingdom. He is annoyed with the old-English speak and tells Taylor to knock it off. Aaron prepares himself incase something happens. Dante comes to talk to Maggie. Dwight’s group has taken out their part of the herd. He says they cannot use their flesh suits for a new defense system because it is disrespectful to the people the dead used to be. A Whisperer begs for his life and Dwight shoots him in the head. Dante expresses his interest in being with Maggie, but she tells him she will only ever love Glenn. Carl gets out of bed and starts walking around the Hilltop. Suddenly, flaming arrows start coming over the walls. The woman from the Sanctuary that stole Vincent’s horse, Tara, comes along claiming she wants to return it to him. When she still refuses to send men for the war, Heath tells her to keep it and sends her away. Carl calls out that they are under attack. The Hilltop gate comes down. Maggie gets shooters up on the walls to take out the archers. Dante lines people up to keep the Whisperers from advancing too far. When the house catches on fire, Maggie and Carl run inside to save Sophia and Hershel. Lydia stays outside convinced she will be more useful against the herd. One of the Whisperers says they are there to rescue her because they need her. She tells him their time is over and shoots him in the head.

Lydia fights off the Whisperers with the others. Carl and Maggie find Sophia and Hershel inside the house. Carl sends them out while goes around and finds more people. While helping Johnny and a women get out, he pushes them forward while he takes a piece of the falling house. They leave him there. Maggie and the others get out and Lydia warns them to move back because they are loosing ground. Aaron gets Carl out of the house. Dr. Carson tells Aaron to fight off the Whisperers while he artificially respirates Carl. As the group starts to get tired, they realize that they are only fighting the dead and the Whisperers are already gone. They have won the battle, but it seems hollow with the Hilltop exposed and on fire. Beta insists he is well enough to walk on his own. Heath tells Rick what happened to Vincent at the Sanctuary. Taylor runs to tell William that the Hilltop is under attack. The Kingdom prepares to send help. Magna cuts off Connie’s hand while Dwight mocks Negan for mourning Lucille. Beta watches Dwight’s camp from afar. They plan to return to their own camp so they can end the war. Eugene plans to take a cart full of bullets back to Alexandria. When one of his workers questions why he doesn’t wait until morning, Eugene explains that the bullets are their contribution to the people that are out there dying to keep them safe. Rick tells Andrea to watch out for Saviors while in the bell tower. Tara returns to the Sanctuary leader to tell her what happened and her misgivings about not sending help. The leader, Sherry, says she is depending on a victory from Rick Grimes so they can swoop in while Alexandria and the others are weak and tired and take over.

Negan mourns the human Lucille and gives her a new burial. William pushes to get to the Hilltop before sunrise and they see the smoke in the distance. William is surprised to see people are still alive when they arrive. Maggie says they will go to Alexandria for now and rebuild in the future. Lydia feels guilty about having been part of the Whisperers and the destruction they leave in their wake. Carl explains that he and his people have also had to do some horrible things to keep their communities in tact. He says they did what they had to do so they can live. She is comforted. Beta refuses to rest and has his men help him continue on. Rick worries that he is going soft from living inside Alexandria’s walls. Andrea points out that he just survived an attack. He wonders if the violent life is worth living. Eugene arrives with a cart full of ammunition and then passes out from exhaustion. Dwight arrives shortly after with his remaining men and Negan. Dwight tells Rick that Beta got away, but they kill almost a thousand dead and Whisperers. Rick explains he saw thousands of them and the job isn’t done. Beta reaches the rest of the group. The dead are being steered towards their enemies and he is going to let them finish the war for them.

VOLUME 28 (#163-168)The herd can be heard approaching Alexandria. Andrea and Dwight immediately start getting things ready. Eugene insists on helping to redirect the dead. They leave on horseback and Rick says they can handle whatever can’t be lead away. Eugene plans to get the herd’s attention by riding past them and leading them east towards the ocean. The dead are bottlenecking into the street, so they have to go down an alley to try to lead some away. Rick takes charge inside Alexandria with Siddiq by his side. Annie keeps watch, but they don’t want to fire any shots until they have to. Negan comes out to see what is going on, but Rick tells him to get back inside. The trench with spikes fills up with zombies so the rest can walk right over it. Eugene points out they will only be able to lead away about a hundred dead at a time. Jesus and Michonne take the first batch and take turns leading and slicing through them with swords. Meanwhile, back in Alexandria, the dead have reached the gates. They start to kill them with knives, but it isn’t long before the gate comes down. Paula is overrun by zombies. Negan saves Rick from the same fate. John watches the demise of Alexandria with binoculars from a telephone pole.

Maggie, Carl, and Lydia arrive at Alexandria with the rest of the Hilltop group. Michonne comes to tell them they weren’t caught off guard, but Maggie points out the gate is down. Maggie goes to help lead the herd away. Carl and Lydia stay to watch Hershel. Negan gets Rick into a house. All the survivors in Alexandria are trapped inside houses. Negan asks Rick what is the worst thing he has ever done. Rick says live. Negan tells him how he couldn’t kill his wife after she turned and had to have someone else do it. He stopped seeing people as people because they were so weak. He started doing things like bashing brains in to scare people into living. Heath enjoys being on a horse since he lost his leg because it allows him to contribute. Eugene understands the need to feel useful. Dwight has his partner fire a shot to drive the herd away from Alexandria. He leads them to Andrea so he can go back towards the wall to help those inside. As the herd starts to thin out, Rick gets up to start killing some. Negan tells him to stay by the door while he goes out so that Rick doesn’t get them both killed. Carl gathers up the rest of the Hilltop people to go help the others. The Saviors are gearing up to attack Alexandria.

Negan is enjoying killing the zombies, but gets overrun quickly. Rick saves his life. They decide they will alternate going out the front and back doors until they are clear enough to get out. Siddiq finds Eugene’s radio and someone on the other end asks for Eugene. When Siddiq answers, the other voice stops talking. Kelly wants to go out of the house and help and Connie wants to go with him. The herd has stopped moving, but the group knows they have to get it further away from Alexandria. Eugene and Andrea watch the zombies fall off the edge of a cliff and into the ocean. Pete will have to be warned not to fish near there. They get the horses to drive a few stragglers back to the group. Everyone is working together to clear out the zombies. John and Sherry meet up with Dwight, Laura, and Heath. John is given no restrictions on what he does to them and immediately goes for Dwight. Andrea and Eugene’s group are trapped between two groups of zombies. Eugene sends the others to get out so he can keep them together and moving towards the coast. He gets boxed in and Andrea goes back for him. They make it out, but Andrea is bitten on the neck in the process.

Andrea insists they keep driving the zombies over the cliff into the ocean before they are all killed. Rick, Negan, Siddiq, and a few others meet up as they clear out zombies in Alexandria. Carl and his group join them. Sherry arrives with her group to make their point that they don’t want anything to do with the rest of them. She is shocked by Negan’s presence. Dwight arrives and jumps right in against the Saviors. Rick tells him to stand down and invites Sherry inside to discuss what she and her people want. Sherry explains her people don’t want anything to do with them. When Rick tries to tell her he isn’t a dictator, that they all work together, she attacks him. He ends up pushing her off him and she breaks her neck against a table. Andrea comes in and shows Rick the bite on her neck.

Andrea passes out. Rick and Michonne take her to her bed. Dwight upset about Sherry’s death. When Andrea wakes up, she tells Rick to leave the room because she doesn’t want the rest of her time to be filled with tears. Carl goes in and she tells him that no one is meant to be with a specific person. She is glad she got to watch him become a man and just wants him to be happy. Everyone comes by to say goodbye to Andrea. Dwight handles the Saviors and has them helping with cleanup. Eugene apologizes to Rick, but Rick knows it wasn’t his fault and tells him so. Rick is finally able to go in. Andrea tells him he has to go on because their little world won’t survive without him. If he dies, so will everyone else, and it will all be for nothing. He agrees. Andrea dies and Rick crawls into bed with her. At the last minute, he decides that he isn’t going to let her bite him. He puts his knife into her head and goes to join the others. He thinks about Andrea’s last words as he greats his friends and tells them they have a lot to do.

Dwight shows Rick the progress they have made. Rick thanks the Saviors for their help even though they didn’t help when it was really needed. John wants to know where Sherry is. Rick tries to explain what happened, but John is done being friendly. Negan steps in and asks John if he wants things to go back to the way they were when he was in charge. He also points out that Sherry wasn’t exactly a brilliant visionary. He tells him to go back to the factory. When they need help, Rick will provide it. When Rick needs help, they had better give it. The Saviors leave. The dead are buried. That night, Rick sleeps on Andrea’s grave.

VOLUME 29 (#169-174)Carl is at Andrea’s grave with Lydia. He tells her about how he killed the kid named Ben that Andrea and Dale had adopted because he was a danger to them all and no one else seemed to be able to do it. After the battle against Negan and the Saviors, Carl admitted to Andrea that he did it. She told him she loved him and that was when he started calling her mom. Maggie expresses her anger to Rick about Negan roaming around free. Rick tells her Negan is leaving as soon as the conflict is over. Siddiq told Rick about Eugene’s radio and comes to talk to Stephanie. He tells her he will travel to a place of their choosing so their community feels safe. She thinks she can convince her group to agree. Eugene wants to be on the team that goes to meet them and Rick agrees to let him go. Dwight is working around the community and makes a comment about working too hard and Rick taking the credit. Rick says they will talk later and goes to find Jesus. Carl sees Maggie packing up the donations to take back to the Hilltop. He tells her he plans to go back, but hasn’t told his dad yet. Rick wants to send Jesus to Ohio, but Jesus is reluctant because of his new relationship with Aaron. That night, Rick confronts Dwight. Dwight says Rick’s time as leader is up because he is making bad decisions. He didn’t want to lead the Saviors because of their hate. The same hate he sees in Rick. Rick tells him he doesn’t have time for Dwight because of everything that is going on. He warns him that he is barely keeping his rage in check and doesn’t think adding Dwight’s grave to the list will really matter. Rick wakes up from laying on Andrea’s grave. Michonne tell him she is going to meet the new community and is taking Magna, Yumiko, and Siddiq. Carl comes to say goodbye before leaving to go back to the Hilltop. Rick tells Carl he is proud of him. Dwight watches Negan as he packs canned food and heads out the gate. Michonne and Maggie’s groups also leave. Maggie sends Dante to follow Negan so they don’t loose track of him.

Yumiko points out they haven’t been as far north as they are planning to go and have no idea what awaits them. Jesus agrees to keep an eye on Dwight for Rick. [dark hair pony tail] asks Rick to look after Mikey, who is having a tough time since losing Paula. Briana talks to Maggie, but Maggie is too distracted to pay attention. Dante follows Negan. Laura tries to calm Dwight down, but he believes there is no difference between Negan and Rick. Rick goes to comfort Mikey, who misses his mom. Michonne’s group talks to a bald guard from the Kingdom. He’s been a little out beyond the safe zone and everything seems quiet. No one really knows past that. William from the Kingdom meets up with Maggie to give her the materials they had been collecting for an expansion to be repurposed for repairs to the Hilltop. Negan goes to human Lucille’s grave and cries over the bat. Siddiq is on watch at night when Eugene gets up to urinate. Magna and Yumiko are making out. Zombies come out of nowhere and surprise them all, but they are able to dispatch them and no one is hurt. They pack up to move on. Jesus wants to go back to the Hilltop, but Aaron isn’t sure he’s ready. Jesus tells him he loves him. Michonne’s group comes to a city and they decide the population should have dispersed enough for them to go through it. They are surprised to find it empty. They find a building to stay the night in. Siddiq has been feeling guilty and admits that Rosita loved him.

Siddiq opens up to Eugene about Rosita. He thinks she loved him while Eugene is still convinced she loved him and Siddiq was just a mistake. Eugene calms his anger and comforts Siddiq. In the morning, the group gets ready to leave the city. Yumiko points out the empty buildings could be full of useful supplies, but Michonne reminds them they are on a deadline to meet people. When they get to the edge of the city, Michonne yells out to see if anything happens. One lone woman comes out of hiding. Michonne immediately takes a defensive tone, but the woman points out she came out with her gun pointed at the sky, not at them. She introduces herself, Juanita Sanchez, but she wants to be called Princess, the Princess of Pittsburgh. Eugene reminds them to keep their voices down and Princess confirms the city isn’t completely empty. A few zombies come towards them, but Princess kills them quickly with her automatic rifle. She asks to join them, but Michonne is suspicious. She points out she is grossly outnumbered and Eugene agrees it would be suicidal for her to try anything. They agree to follow her to get her things, but put her own gun to her back along the way. She takes them to a building and calls out to a group of people. Michonne is furious. Princess reveals she was only joking and goes to get her stuff.

Yumiko and Magna like Princess, but Michonne has her doubts and is ready to leave her behind when she takes too long. Princess comes out with a spear and they take off. Michonne decides not to give Princess her gun back yet. Rick worries about Michonne and the rest of the group. He helps teach Mikey how to plant crops. Michonne’s group continues on. Carl helps Maggie and the others rebuild the Hilltop. Rick is still sleeping on Andrea’s grave. Aaron and Jesus decide they are ready to leave Alexandria. Lydia thanks Carl for all the help he has given her. She is starting to feel like she belongs. Sophia watches them while she sits with Hershel. Michonne and Princess go to kill off a group of zombies. Yumiko tries to convince Magna to come out of the closet. Yumiko tells their group, but none of them make a big deal about it. Aaron and Jesus head out and Rick tells them to let him know what Maggie needs for the Hilltop. Neither Carl or Sophia is able to sleep. She tells him she misses him as her friend. He agrees they can spend more time talking. Maggie can’t sleep. Rick tries to tell Andrea’s grave that things are getting back to normal, but breaks down crying. Jesus and Aaron rest for the night. As Aaron is sleeping Beta comes up behind Jesus.

Jesus and Aaron are attacked by Beta and the Whisperers. They are able to kill the attackers and Beta's mask comes off as he dies. They realize he was a famous basketball player. Dante goes into Maggie's tent to talk to her about all the progress that has been made at the Hilltop. She is looking at a map and wondering why Negan gets to live like nothing ever happened. Carl feels guilty for taking a lunch break while everyone else is working. Lydia points out that he is working too hard. Sophia drops what she is carrying and Carl goes to help her pick it up. Lydia is not amused. Michonne's group is getting close to the meeting place. The Whisperers are recruiting, Mike's family (wife and son Josh) are not willing to wear zombie masks. A Whisperer threatens to kill Mike, but Jesus and Aaron come along and kill the Whisperers. Aaron starts to tell them about their home and Jesus says they can talk as they travel. Laura tells Dwight she is done with him until he gets over his hatred. Michonne's group arrives at a train yard. Eugene points out Stephanie's group should be waiting for them. They debate whether to set up camp or look around. A group shows up with weapons ready and tells them to drop their own.

Negan finds a sunflower and digs it up while talking to it about how gorgeous and big-dicked they both are. A couple of zombies come after him and he pushes them over thinking they could kill someone that is coming after him. He puts the potted sunflower on Lucille's grace and goes home. A dog has gotten into his things, so he kills and eats it. While searching for supplies, he decides to stop into a barn. There is a bat there, but he leaves it there. He talks to Lucille's grave and says a bat can't replace her. He goes back for the bat. Shortly after, he happens to be walking along a barbwire fence and takes some to wrap around it. As he is finishing his new Lucille, Maggie and Dante arrive. Maggie has a gun and tells Dante to wait outside. Negan says he regrets what he did, but at the time he thought it was necessary. He explains that Rick showed him there can be life in the new world. Maggie says when she pictures Glenn, it is when Negan killed him with a smile. He begs her to kill him and offers her his new bat. She refuses to give him what he wants. On her way out, she kills two zombies to ensure his survival in his misery. She kisses Dante and they start heading home. Negan burns the new bat.

VOLUME 30 (#175-180)Michonne’s group is taken inside a building and introduced to Lance Hornsby. Eugene demands to speak to Stephanie, but Lance has the advantage with his armored soldiers’ guns pointing at them. He wants to know where they are from, but Eugene insists they will only trust Stephanie. When asked, Michonne says they are all united in the decision. Lance thinks this is a good sign, but has his men keep aim at them. After his men search around for any surprises, he starts asking questions. He tells them he will take them back to the Commonwealth, which is where Stephanie is. Lance sleeps in a wagon on their way back while Michonne’s group follows behind on their horses. A soldier next to Michonne tells him there is nothing to worry about and they will get used to the Commonwealth’s ways. As they approach, they see a stadium. Lance explains that is where they have concerts and football games. The population is around 50,000 people. There is a giant board for people looking for people to leave messages for lost loved ones. Eugene points out a picture that Elodie is looking for her mom, Michonne.

Michonne demands to be taken to her daughter, but one of the guards points a gun at her and Lance explains some of the pictures are old. There is somewhere they need to go for answers. Michonne agrees to follow and they start through the city. Stephanie calls out to Eugene because she wants to apologize for not being there to meet him. Lance yells at her reminding her that her radio usage was unauthorized, but forgiven. He tells her he will reassign her to something unpleasant if she doesn’t get to work. They are brought into a large building where Maxwell Hawkins welcomes them to the Commonwealth and asks about their previous professions. He takes them to meet Governor Pamela Milton. She introduces her self and claims she is the solution they have been looking for. She starts her audition, but Michonne lets her know it is two way. As Eugene and the rest of the group wait out in the hall, a group of exhausted soldiers return. Mercer is mentioned as the person that trained them. Pamela gives Michonne a speech about how they are engines and need to work together in the same direction. After a while, Michonne gets inpatient and tells Pamela she’ll only believe it if she hears it from her daughter that is alive and in the Commonwealth. Pamela agrees to find Elodie right away. They go to the bakery and Michonne and Elodie are reunited.

Mikey shares with Rick a poem Annie told him to write to work out his feelings. Rick reminds Mikey he shouldn’t ever be afraid to share his feelings. Mikey suggests Rick does the same with his feelings about Andrea. Eduardo is relieved from a boring day on watch duty an discovers Maggie and Dante having sex in the shed. Maggie is ashamed and leaves. Pamela’s son, Sebastian, is in a field trying to have sex with a girl named Kayla. They are attacked by a zombie and Mercer saves them. Kayla is mortified someone was there to watch them. Sebastian yells at Mercer for not keeping out of site. Sebastian doesn’t see the line of zombies Mercer did kill to keep them safe. Michonne and Elodie arrive at Elodie’s apartment and fall into hugging and crying. Michonne apologizes for how it all happened and that she couldn’t get to Elodie’s father’s house in time. Elodie explains Colette didn’t make it when they were trying to follow her dad’s plan of going north from Kentucky. They were in a group of bad people that protected them from the dead, but expected sex in return. Colette refused and they killed her. Elodie killed the entire group and that is what really haunts her. Pamela asks Michonne’s group to give her time to reconnect with her daughter before their weapons are returned and they are given the chance to stay or leave. Sebastian comes along and complains about Mercer like a spoiled child. After Sebastian storms off, Mercer tries to explain what happened and Pamela reprimands him for letting her son get himself into danger. In the locker room, George sympathizes with Mercer and says the troops are just waiting for him to make his move. Mercer thinks the leaders will kill themselves off and he won’t have to do anything. Siddiq walks in on their conversation.

Mercer explains he and George were just blowing off steam. He tells Siddiq that Sebastian is a pain, but he should be lucky enough to avoid him. They all agree that everything is fine and Siddiq leaves for the bathroom. Dante starts kissing Maggie and Sofia bursts into the room and starts yelling at Maggie before storming off. Maggie catches up to her and explains the situation. They make up. Elodie doesn’t know how she feels about Michonne, who is willing to wait for Elodie as long as it takes. Carl jokes with Sofia about Maggie and Dante, which helps her feel better. Michonne declares she trusts the people of the Commonwealth because her daughter does. Pamela wants to visit Alexandria and they agree to leave in a few days. Pamela leaves them with Stephanie to show them to their rooms at the Whitmore and then around town. Michonne is curious about Pamela and her lack of questioning. Sebastian comes along and forcefully hits on Yumiko. Magma steps in and he knocks her down. Princess takes out her spear and knocks all the guards down. Mercer throws his axe to get the spear out of her hands. Sebastian wants them all arrested. Elodie tries to apologize to him and he hits her across the face. Michonne is enraged, but Elodie warns her that they need to know their place.

Mercer steps in and scars Sebastian away after he has made his hollow threats. When the group gathers together, Elodie and Stephanie explain that the Commonwealth works on a class system. What you did before the apocalypse determines your status. People are evaluated once a year to try to move up. Magma is outraged by the idea. After a few days of special treatment, the Michonne’s group prepares to escort Pamela to Alexandria. Lance asks Michonne to consider staying behind with her daughter. Sebastian is whining while his mom leaves and she tells him not to cause any trouble while she is gone. Michonne gives Eugene her sword to give to Rick. Eugene is excited about the start of his friendship with Stephanie since they are so like-minded. He mentions that people will need to start having babies to keep their lifestyles sustainable. Princess is excited to finally be going to Alexandria to meet Rick and that she will have options about where she will live in the future. After a few days, they arrive at Alexandria. Eugene is able to space out the massive number of walking troops so they get get ahead and give Rick a heads up.

Lance Shows Michonne her new apartment and says Elodie can help her with her law office rather than working at the bakery. Michonne thinks it is too good to be true. Dwight apologizes to Laura. He knows his negativity is not a good quality. He asks her to go with him while he apologizes to Rick. They hear the arrival of Eugene and the others and has Laura help him round up the army to be on the safe side. When they arrive, Pamela gives Eugene leave to warn Rick. Rick greets Pamela and Dwight shows up wit the militia. Rick has a few of Dwights men escort Mercer to meet the rest of the Commonwealth platoon to have them staged at the watch tower rather than in Alexandria. He offers Pamela a tour and she decides to go with him alone. As they talk, Pamela is not impressed with Rick’s idealistic view on equality. She believes people need the world to be like it was before while he thinks it needs to change for the new world.

VOLUME 31 (#181-186)Pamela is impressed with the view of the Ocean as Rick shows her around. Michonne tells Elodie she has decided to stay and become a lawyer for the Commonwealth. She has some time to get reacquainted with the processes and has time for a trip. Carl introduces himself to Joshua, a new kid whose family was traveling with the Whisperers. They were too scared to leave them. Maggie talks with Jesus and Aaron about the new family. They believe they are good people and are letting them stay. Jesus tells Maggie that Rick has requested for Carl to come to Alexandria for a visit along with a list of what the Hilltop needs. Maggie agrees and asks if they are sure Beta is dead. They agree if there are any whisperers left, they are not a threat. Princess thanks Rick for allowing her to come along on the tour of the surrounding areas of Alexandria and the boat. Dwight points out a horde of zombies in their path. Rick decides they will have to drive the herd away from Oceanside and enlists the help of Mercer and the guards. Princess is a bit nervous, but Mercer tells her to stick with him. Pamela decides to break off and causes issues. Princess gets surrounded and falls off her horse. Mercer jumps in to save her, but there are too many. A guard goes in depending on his armor to protect him from bites. Laura comes with reinforcements to clear our the zombies. Once they survive, Princess kisses Mercer. Rick is not happy that Dwight pulled people off of lookout duty to follow them thinking the entire situation could have been avoided entirely. Pamela comes out of her carriage to give praise to Mercer. He was expecting an apology for what she did to make things worse. She wanted to show off Mercer’s abilities.

At the Sanctuary, John is teaching Christopher about growing crops. When Christopher complains about not liking tomatoes, John gives him a speech about how life is about need rather than want. The more they can produce over their need, the more they have to trade, and the better life will become. Rick and Governor Pamela arrive and talk to John about the communities needing each other in order to take back the country. She is not impressed with the Sanctuary and asks Rick about Negan. They go to the Kingdom next. The next day, they go to the Hilltop. The rebuilding process is much further along than expected. Rick is able to spend some time with Carl, who apologizes for leaving Alexandria. Rick admits he needed the alone time. Maggie is suspicious of Pamela, but says she will trust Rick’s opinion. Eugene gets the Commonwealth soldiers into wagons to speed up their trip. Rick rides with Pamela in her carriage. She wants to make the collection of communities a part of the Commonwealth. Rick isn’t quite convinced it isn’t their way of thinking that needs to be brought around.

Elodie is excited to be taking advantage of Michonne’s perks. A soldier named Jerome is escorting them to Greenville when they are attacked by a few zombies. Jerome gets off his horse to take care of them, but quickly becomes overwhelmed. Michonne goes to help and ends up saving him. When they arrive in Greenville, Elodie expects they will stay in a hostile, but are offered a large cabin on the lake. They enjoy their stay. A woman named Cloris brings them a bag of food for their return trip and is upset when Michonne gives it to a hungry family that can’t afford food. They return with a new guard. On the way, They see a crowd gathering because the guards are beating someone, Anthony Keith, that supposedly assaulted officers. Michonne stops the guards. Later at home Lance comes to tell Michonne the beaten man is in bad shape. Lance tells Michonne she is going to defend the officers in the case against Anthony. Defending the officers is not sitting well with Michonne. Lance comes to tell her Anthony has died. The public is giving her guff for defending the officers and a riot breaks out. Jerome helps Michonne and Elodie escape the law office. Rick and Governor Pamela arrive to fire and chaos in the Commonwealth.

Michonne and Elodie try to get out of the riot, but they see Jerome being attacked by an angry mob. Michonne promises to save him and tells Elodie to run, but Elodie tries to stop the people from hurting him. Michonne jumps in to help Jerome and her daughter and the crowd turns on them. Jerome uses himself to shield Michonne. Mercer arrives and breaks up the crowd with his guards. Pamela tells them they need to let her govern rather than turning violent. Michonne has some bruises and bumps from the riot, but still gives her statement in court. She asks the judge to drop the charges against the guards that killed the man in order to let the community go on in trust and goodness. Later, Rick asks if Michonne believes in her own words. She partially does. Having Elodie back is very important to her and she values having a community that feels like the zombies never came. Eugene and Stephanie take a look at a train. Eugene wants to restore it to give quicker and safer transportation between communities. Pamela scolds Lance for letting things get out of hand while she was away. She is disgusted that Rick is helping clean up the streets after the riot. He asks if she has better things to do and she starts helping as well. Dante is disgusted that the citizens of the Commonwealth are eating at a restaurant rather than helping clean up their streets. Laura makes a comment about cleaning the people up afterwards. Mercer and Princess sleep together and decide it is not just a casual fling. A couple of people approach Rick impressed with how he has been helping. They ask if there is room for them in Alexandria and Rick tells them it isn’t as nice as the Commonwealth. Dwight asks Rick to leave him at the Commonwealth to save them. Rick denies his request.

Dwight wants to go back for his army to take over the Commonwealth. Rick says no and is disappointed that Dwight hasn’t learned anything from their previous wars. Carl is a little worried about his Dad, but Lydia is sleeping and doesn’t hear him talking. Carl starts to go back to his own room and runs into Sophia. She complains about not having anyone to have sex with and Carl tries to recommend people. Yumika finds Magma on a watch shift at Alexandria. Magma is wondering when the next war is going to start because the Commonwealth is completely rotten and she knows Rick will see through the glitter of it. Rick eats at a restaurant with Michonne and Elodie. He is overcome with emotion wishing Andrea could have seen the peacefulness of the Commonwealth. Eugene is impressed with the condition the train is in. Stephanie gets excited and kisses him. Pamela reprimands Lance and demands increasing the number of guards on patrol to remind the citizens they are in control. Rick comes in and Lance leaves. Pamela asks him if he is okay because the rumor of his crying at breakfast with Michonne has spread to her. He explains he was just sad his wife didn’t survive long enough to see the Commonwealth. Pamela sympathizes; her daughter didn’t make it either. Dwight goes out into the streets and picks a verbal fight with a guard to cause a scene. He is happy that the people are upset with the guards, but ends up surrendering. Rick comes to visit Dwight in jail. He explains he knows that the way the Commonwealth does things is wrong, but starting a war isn’t the way to fix things. Dwight is making everything worse. Mercer overhears the conversation and tells Rick the Commonwealth needs him as their leader.

A boy new to the Hilltop asks to sit with Sophia to eat. Carl smiles at her, but Sophia rolls her eyes. Eugene wakes up to Stephanie pinning her wig back in place. He thinks she is beautiful without it, but she wears it to make herself feel better and insists he leaves the room while she gets it reattached. Rick tells Michonne about Dwights actions and Mercer’s words. Michonne knows the Commonwealth needs change, but points out they need Rick’s mind, not his guns. Elodie’s friends are worried she has switched side since she has found her mom. Magma warns Heath that something might be coming. She doesn’t want Alexandria worried, but ready. Rick and Dwight meet with Michonne. She is glad to hear that Rick wants to solve the issues reasonably and Pamela allows herself in with her guards. Michonne is upset that Pamela brought guards. Dwight is upset Pamela is there. He knows she will never relinquish her power and holds his gun to her head. Rick shoots Dwight in the head. Pamela thanks Rick. Laura mourns Dwight. Rick is furious with Michonne for backing him into a corner rather than trusting him not to be pushed to violence. Michonne thinks Rick just avoided a war. Rick wonders if he joined the wrong side of one.

VOLUME 32 (#187-193)

Governor Pam address the Commonwealth to explain there was an assassination attempt and Rick saved her life. She introduces him and he tells them he is looking to help find the peaceful solution to their issues. Mercer goes home to find Princess has broken into his apartment to get her stuff. She doesn’t want to be there when things get bad. Before the zombies, her mother remarried a man with a grown son. Princess would act out and they would lock her in a closet and beat her. She has to keep a positive attitude and she can’t do it with everything falling apart around her, so she is leaving. Magma asks Siddiq to go to the Hilltop and grab a few people to go to the Commonwealth with him to check on Rick. He agrees and leaves right away. Sophia is walking around with the new kid, Josh, and they are sharing their life stories. Carl is happy to see Sophia enjoying herself, but Lydia gets jealous. Carl tries to reassure her that Sophia is just a friend. He wants to be with Lydia because she is like him - a monster. Lydia is upset that he calls her that and storms off. Mercer goes out to blow off steam by killing zombies. Laura joins him and suggests they are frustrated about the same things. Michonne finds Rick at a table at a coffee shop and apologizes. She points out that Dwight has a history of pulling guns on leadership and that his death was inevitable. Rick apologizes as well. They both agree they want to help fix the Commonwealth without ruining it. Siddiq arrives at the Hilltop, but the guards have gotten too relaxed from all the quiet they’ve had lately and almost don’t hear him coming. Once inside the Hilltop, Siddiq talks to Maggie. She agrees it is odd Rick has been gone so long with no word. Jesus, Aaron, and Dante all agree to go with him. They plan to check it out from a distance. As they are getting ready to leave, Carl comes up and is ready to go. He refuses to not go if his dad might be in trouble. He is able to explain himself to Lydia - she helped him get past his injury and act normal again. She understands and is glad they help each other. Mercer talks to the other guards in the locker room. He points out they are all frustrated with Governor Pam and the other high ranking officials. He says they can peacefully change the leadership because they hold the power. Lance walks in during the speech.

Mercer is hoping for backup from the other guards, but he doesn’t get their support. George just turns away from him. Maggie has a bad feeling about the Commonwealth, but she couldn’t leave Hershel long enough to go with the men she sent to check out the situation. She admits to Brianna she isn’t sure if she should have sent an entire army. Brianna tells her to go with her gut. Jesus’ group runs into Princess on their way to the Commonwealth, but she runs away from them. Jesus chases after her, but runs into a horde of zombies. Carl rushes in to save him. Princess saves them both, but they lose two horses. She shows them where they can hide while Aaron and Dante drive the zombies away. Governor Pam goes to visit Mercer in jail. He is furious that she constantly used him and risked his life to be a queen. He doesn’t want her son to take over the Commonwealth. Eugene is working on the train engine when Stephanie tells him the guards are being sent back to the Commonwealth because of Mercer’s attempted mutiny. Rick goes to Michonne to tell her about Mercer being put into jail. She already knows the Commonwealth is splitting into two sides. He knows their presence is fueling the fire because there were no other options for leadership before they arrived. He knows Laura is egging on the revolution. The guards start pressuring George to join Mercer’s side. He leaves and is confronted by Laura. Princess tells Jesus and Carl that things are escalating at the Commonwealth. She tells them she left because people are dangerous. Carl points out how she saved them. She agrees to go back to the Commonwealth with them. Meanwhile, a group of zombies are sneaking up on Eugene and Stephanie as they work on the train.

Eugene and Stephanie hear the zombies in time to get into the train engine. Stephanie thinks they will die in there, but Eugene is determined to have both of them survive. Laura visits Mercer’s cell to tell him to stand away from the back wall. George blows out the wall and it is heard around town as they escape. Rick goes to Pamela to get her out before the revolutionaries kill her. She is joined by her assistant, Maxwell and her son, Sebastian. Sebastian makes a big deal about having to listen to Rick, who explains if they don’t get out, they will be killed. On the way out of town, they run into Jesus, Aaron, and the rest of their party. Rick immediately asks Jesus and Aaron to take Pamela, Maxwell,, and Sebastian to their safe place in Greenville. Eugene uses a fire extinguisher to draw the zombies’ attention away from them. He tells Stephanie he has been in similar situations and that they will be fine as long as they are quiet and quick. They clear the zombies and start to run. Rick and Carl are glad to be reunited. Carl asks what he can do to help and Ricks says he’ll know when he time comes. Lance is found and brought to Mercer, but the crowd is upset that they seem to be staging a coup. Rick points out they are making things worse. Mercer says he needs Rick’s help and hopes the people will choose Rick over Pamela.

Rick tries to tell Mercer taking over the Commonwealth will take more time for the people to trust him, but Mercer knows they are in the middle of a revolution and don’t have time. Eugene and Stephanie look over the Commonwealth and she knows the people have had enough of the rules Pamela has put in place. A guard lets Michonne continue the search for her daughter even though they are trying to clear out the streets. Elodie and her friends are getting ready to fight with guns. Michonne tells them she is not willing to lose any of them over this and takes the gun. She tells them to stay there until they hear from her. Eugene and Stephanie have a zombie horde behind them heading towards the Commonwealth. The commotion in the city has drawn the undead there and they need to warn the people inside. Lance is brought in by the guards. Rick tries to convince Mercer to end the revolution peacefully so they can do things properly. Eugene and Stephanie arrive to tell Rick and Mercer about the herd outside the city. Pamela pulled all the lookouts into the city to stop riots. Michonne runs into Carl, Siddiq (?), Princess, and Jesus. They all meet up with Rick and he tells them the herd is coming. Michonne says she has to get back to Elodie. Mercer sends an escort with her as they clear the streets.

Rick and his group are inside and he reminds them to keep quiet so the zombies don’t know they are there. Maggie arrives with her army to lure the zombies away from the Commonwealth. Magma plans to keep her girlfriend close to clear out the straggling zombies from the city streets. Lance is impressed at how the herd is leaving, but Rick scolds him for endangering them all by standing at the window and gawking. Rick decides once the threat is gone, they will bring Pamela back to talk. When the stragglers have thinned out enough, Mercer gets his men ready to clean up the streets. Rick and his people go out after. Michonne leads Elodie’s group through how to clear out the remaining zombies quickly. Rick welcomes his people to the Commonwealth. Pamela arrives to see Rick’s people are there and thinks they are plotting behind her back. Rick tries to reason with her, but she sends the army of Greenville to attack.

Pamela tries to send her army after Rick’s people, but they don’t move. Rick knows she can be reasonable and asks her to reconsider. Rick sees the Commonwealth as a place of hope, but it is contaminated with fear and hate. He explains he thought they would never be able to go back to the way things were, but he now sees they have already started moving that way. They have a possibility to live their lives and be happy. He wants to build a better world rather than just defaulting back to the way things were. He doesn’t want a few elite ruling the rest of the population. They agree. Mercer arrests Pamela. Sebastian tries to tell everyone they won’t survive without them, but Pamela tells him be quiet. Mercer is impressed with how quickly the Commonwealth is cleaned up when they all work together. Rick goes to visit Pamela. She starts blaming him for taking over, but realizes things got out of hand. She thinks he is naive for thinking people will except a new way of figuring out who gets what. Michonne tells Rick their are candidates lining up to run the Commonwealth, but he is the frontrunner. He doesn’t plan to run and wants to return to Alexandria. Carl asks Rick how he always seems to be able to predict the future and know the right thing to do. Rick tells everyone makes mistakes, but the good needs to outweigh the bad. Carl gets to where he is staying and Rick goes to where he is staying. Rick is woken up by Sebastian pointing a gun at him. Rick tries to talk him out of it, but Sebastian is worked up over losing his position of power. He kills Rick. Carl goes to get his dad for breakfast in the morning and finds Zombi Rick. The guards come and send for Michonne. Carl admits to Michonne that he is afraid to live without his dad. Carl goes to talk to Pamela. She tells him that it was her son, Sebastian that murdered Rick. Carl is okay with him staying in jail for the rest of his life. He expresses his sympathy for what Pamela is going through. Michonne warns her that she will not allow Pam to slip back into power because Rick died. Carl goes to visit Sebastian, who is only sad about losing his way of life. Carl thinks Rick would have wanted Sebastian to live in the cell. Carl tells Sebastian if he ever gets out, he will hurt him before returning him his cell. Carl packs up Rick to get him buried next to Andrea. The rest of his people want to go with him to pay their respects and Michonne wants to ride with Carl. On the way back, Carl breaks down with grief.

Years later, Carl kills a zombi with a sword. Sofia comes running out worried about how close he was to it. He is worried Andrea (their daughter) saw what happened, but Sophia assures him she is still asleep. Carl is concerned that a zombie got so far into the safe zone. Carl goes into town and finds Hershel with a cart labelled “the walking dead” and offers to get Carl into the show. Carl punches him in the face. Hershel is relieved Carl was the one to find the zombie, but is furious when he finds out Carl killed it. Carl walks away. Sheriff Kapoor comes by to tell Carl that he should be arrested for destruction of property, but since they’ve been friends so long, he will do what he can to get the charges down to a fine. That night, Carl and Sophia have dinner with their elderly neighbor, Earl. They tell him what happened. They try to convince him to move to town where he can be looked after, but he likes the quiet. Earl points out that Hershel wasn’t raised right because Maggie was too busy with the Hilltop to raise him. Carl and Sophia walk back home. Carl misses his dad, but is also glad he didn’t have to watch him deteriorate with old age. There is a crowd when Carl comes into town for his trial. Each person explains their side, but before the judge can make a decision, President Maggie comes in with a solution that Carl will replace the zombie rather than pay the cost of one to Hershel. Maggie tries to tell Carl they don’t live in the dangerous world he grew up in anymore, but he warns her it will come back if they get too relaxed. He rides off. Sophia warns Maggie that Hershel is turning into the next Sebastian Milton. Andrea and Carl race to Andrea’s school. That night, Carl says he has to go out to clear his head before he leaves. He kills the rest of Hershel’s zombies before leaving town. While picking up supplies, Lydia (with Connor) comes to see what their plan is. On their way to see Jesus and Aaron, Carl leaves supplies for Neagan, who stays hidden. When they camp for the night, Carl agrees to stay in the tent with Lydia. She makes fun of him for keeping his eye patch on. He tries to explain he does it for Andrea so she can live in a better world than they grew up in. The next day, they meet up with Eugene who is working to expand the railroad tracks to meet up with the West. Laura stops by and says she prefers being as far away from civilization as possible because there is less Rick Grimes worship. Carl tells her off and reminds her people are alive because of his dad. Carl goes home and Sophie is angry at him for killing Hershel’s zombies because he will be arrested. The Calvary comes to collect him sooner than he expected. He is put on a train to go to Commonwealth One, where Michonne will be the judge. Carl explains his side of the story and Michonne declares that he is free to go. She is going to start a motion to keep zombies out of the safe areas completely. She is always grateful fo the world they have because of Rick Grimes. Hershel corners Carl to tell him he provided a service to the Commonwealth by reminding them what is beyond the safe zone and storms off. A few kids make fun of Carl’s eye patch, but a girl sets them straight on what Carl had lived through. Carl thinks the statue of his father is a bit over the top, but Sophia thinks it might be what the people need. They go home and Andrea asks for a bedtime story. It is a children’s story about how Rick Grimes saved the world by doing the right thing. When it is over, he tells Andrea she would have really like her grandfather. She asks him to read it again.

It has been months since Percy woke up in the Wolf House without his memory. Lupa sent him south to find what he is looking for. Percy hasn’t slept in day and is on the run from the gorgons, Stheno and Euryale. He has killed them several times, but they keep reforming quickly. Gaea is their patron and allows them out of Tartarus each time they die. However, they have scratch and bit at Percy and they can’t seem to hurt him either. One of them mentions that he has the blessing of Achilles. Someone has dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable. They plan to tear him apart until they find the weak spot. Percy is able to kill Euryale and take the tray Stheno holds. He knows that he needs to get into the mountain he is on, but needs a way to the bottom. He uses the tray to sled down the mountain.

Percy narrowly avoids landing in the middle of traffic that goes through the mountain using a tunnel. There is an ugly, old hippie woman there, June, that wants him to carry her to camp with him. She tells him he can flee to the ocean and live out his days in peace, but he will have to carry her to save the world and his friends and family. Percy doesn’t have his memory, but he knows he has to protect Annabeth. He picks up June and starts carrying her to a door in the mountain that is guarded by two children dressed in Roman armor. Frank, an archer, helps take out one fo the gorgons. The other guard, Hazel stays behind to give them time to escape. They get to the Tiber (river) and Percy is reluctant to cross. June tells him the blessing of Achilles is a Greek blessing and the Tiber will wash it away. Percy can’t let anything happen to Annabeth, so he crosses. Hazel catches up with them and Frank stays this time to hold off the gorgons. Once they reach the doors of the fort, an army of kids comes out. The gorgons fly over to Frank and grab him from the middle of the river. Percy uses his command over water to tear the gorgons off Frank. The water washes them away and doesn’t let them reform. June reveals she is really Juno. A girl, Reyna, that seems like some sort of officer seems to know something when Juno introduces them to Percy Jackson. After Juno takes off, Reyna says she doesn’t know Percy, but he can tell she is lying. He knows better than to question her in front of her campers though. Reyna still isn’t sure if he is friend or foe.

There are house gods all around the camp that Percy mistakes for ghosts. Reyna leads the way with Hazel and Frank following. The campers all stare and one of the gods calls Percy greek. There are a few campers that don’t seem fond of Hazel and Frank either. Reyna takes Percy and Hazel into her office. There are two chairs between two dog statues. Reyna takes one chair. The two dogs, Aurum and Argentum, are real and Reyna tells Percy they don’t like liars as they growl at him. Percy tells her his story and Hazel fills in what she knows. Reyna asks about Percy’s sword (though he doesn’t remember using or mentioning it) and he shows her. She is more suspicious of him since his sword is made of celestial bronze. Her own dagger is made of imperial gold, which is very rare. Reyna notices Percy doesn’t have a tattoo like everyone else from their legion. She asks if he has seen her colleague, Jason (who the second chair belongs to and has been missing for 8 months), but he hasn’t. The Feast of Fortuna (luck goddess) is in five days and that is when Juno told them Gaea would attack. That is also when they would normally vote to replace Jason as praetor. Reyna tells Hazel to take Percy to Octavian.

On their way to meet Octavian, Percy and Hazel are first stopped by a Lare named Vitellius. He is very proud that he has been around since the time of Julius Caesar. Hazel explains they demigods and descendants of demigods are split into cohorts and then battalions of 10. Each is constructed of a balance of descendants of different gods. They hurry along and a saytre begs Percy for money. Hazel shoos him off, but the saytre finds a diamond like rock. Hazel picks it up and sends him off like she just saved his life. When they get to the temples, Percy sees that Neptunes is not well cared for. The Romans fear the sea and Neptune, but don’t love him. Percy leaves his leftover food at the temple and asks his dad for whatever help he can give him. They find Octavian sacrificing stuffed animals in Jupiter’s temple. He takes the stuffed panda pillow from Percy and slices it open to examine the fluff. He says Percy can stay. Percy is a bit unnerved by the pile of sliced up stuffed animals. Octavian says he needs the books of prophecy in order to give better predictions. He has been searching for Jason everyday, but is also campaigning to be his replacement as praetor. He tries to threaten Hazel into voting for him by saying the rumors around camp could get worse. He also tells her that her brother is waiting by her father’s temple. Percy and Hazel leave. She is obviously furious over Octavian’s remarks. She takes Percy to meet her brother, Nico Di Angelo. Nico pretends to not know who Percy is and introduces himself.

Percy seems like he recognizes Nico so Hazel thinks her brother might be able to shed some light on the situation. He signals her to drop it and lies saying he doesn’t know Percy, but promises to talk to Percy about it later since he is staying the night. He explains what has been going on with Gaea awakening and how Camp Jupiter took defeated Saturn (Kronos) on Mount Orthys. He thinks a worse war is coming. Frank comes up to tell them Reyna is looking for Percy. Hazel tries not to have feelings for Frank, but her heart skips a beat every time she sees him. Frank takes Percy to get cleaned up before evening muster. Nico and Hazel sit on the roof of the Pluto (Hades) temple that is covered in bones and diamonds. Hazel is the reason it is covered in diamonds. They tend to show up if she is in one place too long or gets too anxious. The campers know not to take them from the temple though. She has been careful to make sure no one gets them because of her curse. Nico tells her he cannot tell Percy anything; he has to find his own way. She thinks back to December 1947 when she was in New Orleans.

Hazel is swept back to her 13th birthday. She went to a school for African and Native Americans. Her friend Sammy worked in the stables that were for the riding club of white kids. Since the war, the stables hadn’t been used as much and Sammy was able to bring Hazel with him to take care of the horses. They were sometimes able to ride them as well. Sammy and Hazel ride out in the field and split a cupcake for Hazel’s birthday. He kisses her on the check. When she goes home, Hazel hears her mother, Queen Marie, discussing her in two different voices. Hazel is scared and starts to leave. Her father, Pluto meets her at the door and gives her colored pencils for her birthday. He apologizes that her mother never told her why she is cursed (produces gemstones that bring bad fortune), but a son of Neptune will wash it away someday. Pluto goes to her mom and tries to talk her into staying where he can protect her. She refuses and says they are going North to Alaska. Pluto vanishes into thin air, and Queen Marie tells Hazel to pack. When Hazel comes back to the present, Nico tells her she will have to get the visions of her past under control so they don’t end up getting her killed in battle. She is still working on it, but they are getting worse. Nico tells her Percy will be a good alley, but the horns sound to signal it is time for muster.

As Nico and Hazel are running for the dinning hall, Hazel trips over a gold bar. She stops Nico from picking it up and reminds him of her curse. She uses her powers to drive it back into the ground where it came from and they continue on. She makes it into place just before her name is called for roll. Percy Jackson is introduced to the entire Legion and they ask if he has any letters of recommendation. He does not and Hazel is surprised Juno’s words didn’t count. Frank offers to stand for him, but he is not a full member and is not eligible to do so. Hazel stands for him and the rest of the fifth cohort welcomes him. Percy thanks them both for standing for him.

They all gather to eat dinner. Percy sits with Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Dakota (Fifth Cohort Centurion). Percy still gets the feeling that he knows Nico, but Nico changes the subject talking about how he found Hazel in New Orleans and spends most of his time in the Underworld. Hazel knew he was trying to revive his sister, Bianca, but she moved on to a new incarnation of life. Dakota tells the story how Hazel saved his life from a stampede of unicorns. She used her powers to direct the unicorns away using the metal in their horns. Percy asks about the missing Eagle during muster. Hazel explains it was lost in ancient times and quickly recovered. Romans would generally destroy their eagle before they would allow it to be taken. It was lost again before she came to camp. The fifth cohort centurion of the time was told it was in Alaska, but it wasn’t time for it to be found. He went anyway and most of the cohort died. That was when people started to believe they were cursed. Things started to look up with Jason around, but his disappearance enforced the rumors. After dinner, they prepare for the war games to begin. First and Second Cohorts will defend while Third through Fifth attack.

Before muster, Frank polishes armor and thinks about Hazel. While they were standing guard before Percy showed up, they attempted small talk in French, but the lack of knowledge and different dialects between New Orleans and Vancouver were not compatible. On his way down to Camp Jupiter, he used the stick in his pocket from Juno to warm himself. As it burned, it drained his life. He considered using it to warm Hazel and she complained about the cold. As he is wishing Apollo would claim him, the Fifth Cohort Lar, Vitellius comes to tell him that he was claimed through an omen when he turned 16; a chicken ran off with his adult robe signaling he would be in medicine. He knows that Frank took the spoils (two vials of blood; one heals, one kills) from the gorgon’s defeat. He points out it might end his curse or cure Percy’s memory issues, but will likely be needed in the upcoming quest. But Neither know which vial heals and which kills. Reyna comes to tell Frank to fetch Percy. He goes to the temple and starts to lead Percy to the baths. Frank mentions the vials and Percy says he wants to save them for the upcoming battle. Percy asks about the Greeks and Frank admits that the Romans are a bit touchy about it because when the Roman Empire fell, the only part that survived was the east (Greek) side. Percy asks about his mortal parent and Frank tells him his mother was a Captain in the Canadian army and she was killed in Afghanistan. Percy drops the subject and goes to bathe.

Right before his mother’s funeral, Frank took his grandmother’s porcelain collection and set up each piece to use as target practice for his archery. Grandmother didn’t seem too upset by it and brought him inside to give him something. Shorty after Frank was born, Juno came to them and told them Frank’s life would burn out shortly after the piece of firewood was consumed. His life would be short and bright. Grandmother ripped it out of the fire and his mother kept it safe until she left for Afghanistan. She tells him Lupa will be sending messengers for him after the funeral. He will go to camp and learn there. She tells him to privately apologize to the praetor for his great-grandfather. Frank does as he’s told and Reyna tells him not to mention the name around camp because it will make people hate him. In the present, the War Games are starting. The First and Second Cohorts have built a new fort and the Third and Fourth are planning to attack after the Fifth wears them down. Dakota and Gwen divide the Cohort up amongst themselves for attacking different sections of the wall. Gwen tells Hazel and Frank to do what they need to do to show Percy the ropes. Frank gets an idea that Percy can control the water canons. Percy isn’t positive he can always control water, but agrees to try. Frank suggests Hazel use her power to find them a tunnel to get them close. She is a bit upset that he shared her secret with Percy, but agrees to the plan.

Frank and Percy start fighting their way through the guards and Hazel gets on the elephant, Hannibal, to get to the banners. Inside, the First and Second Cohorts are not prepared for an invasion - they are playing a game. Frank and Percy are able to grab the banners and get on Hannibal’s back with Hazel to depart the fort. Reyna calls the end of the war game. Gwen is brought out on a stretcher with a pilum through her chest. The medics try to save her, but she is dead. Suddenly, she gasps for air and is alive again. Frank has Hazel and Percy help him remove the pilum from Gwen’s chest. Frank notices Octavian doesn’t have a pilum. Some question if Nico has anything to do with Gwen coming back to life, but he denies any involvement. Mars appears and tells them Death needs to be rescued in order for the dead to stay dead. Percy is not happy to see him and knows they have fought in the past. Mars tells them they will need to go to Alaska, rescue Thanatos (Death), and return to camp before sundown on the 24th (Feast of Fortuna). He then claims Frank as his son and tells everyone that Frank will lead the quest. He tells him he has to take Percy with him and can chose his third person. Lightning shoots across the sky and Mars knows he is out of time and leaves. Frank is sorely disappointed that Mars is his father.

That night, Percy falls asleep instantly. He dreams of Grover and Annabeth. They tell him Tyson is looking for him and to stay where he is. Gaea appears and says Percy will be her pawn. When he wakes up, Frank tells him they only have time for a quick breakfast before the senate meeting they must attend. When they get to the city, a statue of Terminus, the border god, tell them what they need to know in. He makes Percy hand over his pen/sword to his assistant Julia (six year old who lives in the city). As they walk down the street, Percy thinks of what it would be like to live somewhere safe like this with Annabeth in the future, but knows it isn’t where they belong. They catch up with the senators that are entering a big white building.

14 In the Senate House, the meeting starts out with people not being happy about who was chosen to go on the quest. Frank is promoted to centurion as that is the level required to lead a quest. Octavian makes it clear it was Renya’s choice and he doesn’t agree with it. When asked if they have a plan, Hazel points out Mars told them to go to Alaska. The idea makes the Romans uncomfortable because it is a land where the Roman gods don’t have any power. When Gaea created the giants, she created each one to rival a specific god. The eldest, Alcyoneus, was Plutos. The giant now holds Pluto’s lieutenant, Thanatos (guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from returning). They have to free him to prevent the fall of Camp Jupiter. Octavian points out if they fail, it will be up to the camp to protect Rome. Frank is furious, but Percy agrees to it. However, he knows they need to get up to Alaska quickly since they only have four days. He asks for a boat and Reyna agrees. The Senate agrees to this and excuses Frank and his companions. As they are walking away, Octavian stops them to tell Percy Reyna wants to meet with him later. He points out the last private talk she had was with Jason Grace, who disappeared.

15 Percy meets Reyna in the principia. She tells him Octavian saw an army coming towards the camp led by a giant. They do not think Alcyoneus would leave would leave Alaska as long as he is not vulnerable there. They agree it is most likely a second giant. Lupa is trying to slow them down, but is not fairing well. Reyna lived in a spa with her sister Hylla, who still hates Percy for destroying their home. Reyna gives Percy her ring as a token to take to Hylla in Seattle for help. She doesn’t know if her sister will help, but thinks it is worth trying. Reyna needs another praetor to help her lead. She wants Percy to take Jason’s place. Percy asks if she and Jason were together. She explains praetors work closely together and it can turn romantic. Percy lets her know that he has a girlfriend and isn’t seeking power. She points out his attitude is not very Roman. She asks him to think about it while he is on his mission. Percy apologizes for any pain he might have caused Reyna when he destroyed her home.

16 Percy packs the few belongings he has for the quest. He leaves his orange t-shirt on his bed and says he will be back for it. Everyone is quiet at lunch and afterwards, a guy named Bobby takes them to the boarder on Hannibal. Terminus is there to check them over before they leave and gives them directions to where the Roman Navy ship is kept. It takes them some time to get there and they are disappointed in the little row boat they find. Percy uses his control over water to clean it up and tells them it will work for their purposes. He controls it himself, but gets a bit worried when he hears Gaea’s voice in his head telling him he should have taken to the sea to escape her rather than go on the quest. Percy tells her to get out of his head and steers them towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

17 Hazel is nauseous in the row boat as they make their way past Mount Tam. She tells them that is where Jason defeated Krios, a Titan. Percy seems familiar with the experience. Hazel spoke to Nico before they left. He plans to return to the Underworld to help their father and look for the Doors of Death. Hazel is impressed with Frank’s new-found leadership abilities, but knows she can’t act on them. Thinking about her first death makes her black out. She is in Alaska where her mother works as a waitress by day. Most nights, Gaea takes over Marie and the mother and daughter row out to an island where Hazel must bring the treasures of the Earth. One night, a raven tells her it is her last night. When they get inside the cave, Marie is no longer under Gaea’s control. She explains how Hazel came to be cursed. When Hazel was born, Hades was pleased and gave Marie one wish. She was tired of being poor and wished for all of Hades riches. He warned her that greedy wishes reap sorrow, but she insisted. Marie apologizes to Hazel for being weak once again and listening to Gaea. She plans to sacrifice herself to raise Alcyoneus because Gaea promised Hazel’s safety. Hazel sacrifices her mother and herself to prevent the giant from awakening right then. Marie is proud of her daughter as the cave filled with metals, gems, and oil.

Hazel wakes up and they are on land about 150 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. They boys were worried because they weren’t able to wake her up. She decides her companions deserve to know the truth about her. She asks for water and Percy goes to the boat to get her some. Frank has already guessed that Hazel is from the underworld from the way she talks like she lived a long time ago. Hazel is relieved because he doesn’t look at her any differently. Frank admits he has a secret too, but he doesn’t have time to reveal it. He notices the wind stopped, but the grass is still moving. It comes at them like a wave and grabs Hazel.

19 Hazel is being carried away by the grass and searches for some treasure in the ground to anchor herself to. Eventually, she finds something large and concentrates on it. Once the large rock is out of the ground, she is able to get on top of it. Gnome-like monsters form out of the different grains. They have been promised freedom from humans for helping Gaea, who has special torture planned for Hazel. Hazel tries to trick them into telling her where Alcyoneus is located in Alaska, but they will not tell her. She keeps them talking and tries to keep her voice loud to help her friends find her. When the grains have finally had enough, they start climbing the rock to get her. An arrow goes through the chest of Wheat and turns him into Chex Mix.

20 As the grain monsters start to reform, Percy warns them to stay dead. The three heroes stand on top of the rock and can see an army of monsters with the giant Polybotes at the end of the line. Percy is confused why there are centaurs and cyclopses with them; he remembers them being good. Hazel says they have always been taught they are bad. A few of the Cyclopes are the ones Jason, Leo, and Piper fought and this gives Hazel hope that Jason is still alive. There is a convenience store on top of a hill some of the cyclopses try to get into for food, but it is owned by a goddess. She uses a rainbow of light to keep them out. Polybotes says they are already behind and don’t have time to deal with the goddess. He can smell Percy, but one of the cyclopses convinces him it is only because the sea is near and they don’t have time to look for Neptune there. He takes three large, white snakes from his hair and leaves them there to attack the goddess. They march on, but Percy is left shivering. Hazel and Frank agree they won’t be able to get him back to the sea, but the convenience store might be their only chance for help.

21 As the three heroes make a dash for the convenience store, Frank can hear the snakes behind them. He fires a flare arrow at them and can see they breath fire and kill the grass beneath them. One gets close and he hits it with his bow, which disintegrates. They hurry inside. A cloud nymph named Fleecy takes them to Iris. The rainbow goddess sprays some stuff around Percy to help him with his memory sickness. Percy asks to send an Irish message and Iris agrees to have Fleecy do it for her (as she has been doing most of the messaging for the goddess lately). Iris pulls Frank aside to talk to him.

22 Iris shows Frank images of his past. His mother saving him from a mother bear that needed directions, telling him about his ancestors (Xu Fu and Sung Guo), and telling him they are from Li-Jien. Iris points out that Frank must be important and talented for Juno to have saved him as a baby by pulling the piece of wood out of the fire. She tells Frank that his life is more precious because it could be short. She tells him to do what he wants to and offers him a job at her store. She tells him to seek out Phineas (a blind man that can see past/present/future) in Portland Oregon to find out where Thanatos is in Alaska. Iris tells him he will have to use the spear his father gave him to defeat the basilisks outside. On his way out, she tells him she saw him dying while holding the stick. She suggests he find a demigod he trusts to hold onto it for him. He trusts Hazel enough for this task, but doesn’t know how to explain it.

Frank hopes that he has some hidden powers that he doesn’t know about as he goes out to fight the basilisks with just the spear his father gave him. He goes after one of the snakes in the dark only to find out he has become surrounded by them.

The tip of Frank’s spear feels like it is drawn to the ground. He thinks he remembers something about the dragon tooth being put into the ground and drives it in. A skeletal figure, Grey, appears and waits for his orders. Frank tells it to kill the three basilisks and it does. It decapitates them and then spreads the remaining ashes. Afterwards, Grey disappears and the dragon tooth reappears in the spear. Frank remembers Mars told him he only had three charges. He will have to figure out his mother’s gift to prevent using it anymore. Frank fears that Grey is evil and could end up attacking him or his friends. Percy and Hazel run up to him with weapons drawn, but the fight is already over. Frank promises to explain later.

25 Percy was given a satchel of supplies from Iris they take with them as they take off for Portland. Percy is too tired to continue steering so he asks a killer whale for a lift. It agrees and Percy makes a harness. Frank and Hazel take turns keeping watch. Percy first dreams about fighting in the Titan War. He then sees Leo working on the ship in a hurry to help Camp Jupiter. Lastly, he sees ice and the Eagle. Gaea telling him his friends will die. When he wakes up, they are in Portland. A couple of sturgeons took over pulling the boat to help get them further inland. Once they left, the boat seemed to steer itself. They end up in front of a house and Percy hopes it is where Phineas is.

26 As they wander through the rain, they hear a man yelling at chickens and know it must be Phineas. They find themselves in the middle of several food trucks and follow his yells. They find him at a table hind the trucks with a large pile of food in front of him and using a weed waker to fend off starving harpies. Percy yells for Phineas to stop attacking the harpies, but it scares the bird women and they fly off into the trees. Phineas tells them Gaea is his patron. After years of being cursed by Jupiter and unable to eat food, he is bitter against the gods. A group of Romans made it so he can eat again while the harpies starve because they can only eat his food. He tells Percy he will tell them where Thanatos is being kept if they tie up the quicker, smarter harpy for him. The three heroes don’t want to help him, but know they need his information.

Percy grabs a few food items from Phineas’ table and leads Hazel and Frank towards the red feathered harpy. He lures her down from the sky with the smell of food and she wants the cinnamon roll burrito. However, as soon as she gets it, the other harpies attack her and take it away. Percy tries to explain they want to help her and be friends. She starts reciting part of a She tells them her name is Ella and recites part of a prophecy Percy has the feeling is about him. When Hazel mentions Phineas’ name, Ella flies away. They go though a library to get to its roof and find she has a shelter made from books. She has memorized every book she has read. She tells them Phineas cannot see small things and they should challenge him to a game of chance. Percy and Frank realize they will need to use the vials of gorgon blood.

Phineas writes down the location of Alcyoneus’s base on a napkin and puts it in his robe pocket. Percy and Phineas sit opposite each other at the picnic table. Both Frank and Hazel swear on the River Styx they will not seek revenge on the blind seer if Percy dies. The old man takes both vials and tries to examine them for a difference. He lays them on the table and expects Gaea to help him choose the correct one. She rattles one vial more than the other and that is the one he chooses. They both drink and Percy doubles over in pain. However, it is Phineas that dies and becomes ash. Percy doesn’t feel like he has been healed and doesn’t have his memories back. Gaea tells him in his head that what he did was risky, but she does need Percy more than Phineas, so she chose to save him. They get the napkin from Phineas pocket and see the … Glacier is where they need to go. Hazel knows it and says they have a long way to go.

Hazel tells Percy and Frank her story as they continue North in the Pax with Ella. Towards the end, she feels herself slipping into a flashback and takes Frank with her. He is able to watch as the fates sentence how she will spend eternity. She was granted Elysium, but her mother was headed for Punishment. Hazel bargain with them and arranged for both her mother and her to go to the Fields of Asphodel. Once there, most people just exist, not remembering or feeling anything. Since Hazel is a daughter of Pluto, she retains her memories and feelings. While they are stuck standing there in the fields, Frank tells Hazel about his lifeline stick. He asks her to hold it for him and she takes it. When they come back to the present, Ella tells them Hazel won’t black out anymore because she shared. They arrive in Seattle.

Ella tells her new friends she will rejoin them later and flies off. As they dock, the Pax falls apart. They search the city for the Amazon warriors and eventually find the company Amazon. They decide to go in and find out it is actually the headquarters for the Amazons. They are taken to Queen Hylla, who instantly recognizes Percy as the one who destroyed Circe’s school of magic and her home. Hazel points out the ring Percy has from Reyna. The previous queen, Otrera, has come back from the dead and is looking to reclaim her power. She wants Hylla to kill their guests, but Hylla insists on getting the entire story from Hazel first. She send everyone out except Hazel. Otrera calls any women to her that are interested in learning about Gaea. Once they are alone, Hylla explains she will most likely be dead by that night.

Otrera was the original queen of the Amazons. Gaea brought her back to take back power and march against the Romans at Camp Jupiter with the Giant’s army. Hylla explains that any member of the Amazons has the right to challenge her and become queen in a fight to the death. If Otrera loses, Gaea can bring her back to life to challenge Hylla again. Hylla isn’t sure how many nights in a row she will be able to survive fighting Otrera. Hazel notices Arion, a horse she saw and chased in her old life, in a cage. Many Amazons have tried to tame him and one girl lost her arm trying to feed him. Hylla mentions that he prefers to eat gold and Hazel summons a chunk from the ground for him. He eats from her hand. Hylla thinks Hazel might be part of a prophecy that predicts prosperity for the Amazons. She sends Hazel with her loyal guard Kinzie to the jail cell. Hylla warns her not to be around the cells if there is a jail break.

When they get to the jail cells, Hazel realizes they are surrounded by jewelry. She acts sick to get Otrera’s guards towards her. After Kinzie leaves, she is able to take two out with silver bracelets. The third guard runs away. Hazel takes their Amazon cards and uses them to free Percy and Frank. They make their way back towards the throne room to recover Arion. On the way, those loyal to Hylla let them pass easily. Hazel uses the card to free Arion, but they know they can’t all ride him at once. The horse (also a son of Neptune) tells Percy there is a chariot they can use. Hazel rides Arion while Percy and Frank follow. When they get to the chariot, Percy quickly hooks it up to Arion and they take off. They dodge attacks and make it outside. Hazel calls for Ella, who joins Percy and Frank on the chariot. Arion takes off, breaking the sound barrier.

Arion runs until the chariot starts to fall apart. Frank yells up to Hazel, who is able to stop the horse. They are in Canada. Arion is hungry, but Hazel cannot sense any gold around them. She tells the horse to go graze and that she will find some for him soon. She and Percy salvage what supplies they can from the chariot, which had some Amazon packages in the front of it. Frank notices they are close to his grandmother’s house. Hazel and Percy ask him to return, though Frank is not sure how welcomed they will be. By the time they make their way near the house, they find a campfire surrounded by ogres. They can see several others nearby and figure the house is most likely surrounded. Frank uses his second dragon tooth to summon Grey again. He meant for for the skeletal warrior to create a distraction, but Grey kills the six ogres at the nearby campfire and sinks back into the ground. They now have a path to the house.

Once inside, Frank is worried from the state of the house. He notices his grandmother’s usually clean porcelain is covered in dust. He makes his way upstairs to her room with his friends. When he gets there, his grandmother is frail looking and sleeping in her bed. Mars is at her bedside, but only Frank can see him. Frank sends his friends off to get some sleep while he talks to Mars. The war god tells him to think about the stories his family has always told him. One of his ancestors was the son of Poseidon, who was given the family gift. The Romans were defeated in a battle to the east and 15 thousand were taken prisoners. When that civilization found themselves in a battle with the Chinese, the Romans were once again taken prisoners in Li Jien, where his mother said is their homeland. He needs to figure out his family gift quickly if he is going to survive. Every demigod has a fatal flaw; Percy Jackson’s is his loyalty to his friends. Frank’s sense of duty will allow him to make a decision that Percy will not be able to. Frank realizes that he is one of the seven demigods of the prophecy.

In the morning, Frank wakes up on the floor. Hazel brought him a pillow and blanket and breakfast. His grandmother tells him to make her his girlfriend because he needs strong women in his life. She asks if Frank has figured out the family secret. He starts going over their family history. His grandmother confirms that his great grandfather did not do anything wrong, but in his day, he was outcast for being Chinese. Frank continues the history and asks if his mother’s telling him that he can be anything was literal. His grandmother confirms it, but can’t tell him how to use the ability, just that it is easier in times of need. She has arranged for a pilot to take them north from a nearby landing strip. She sends Frank to the attic to get weapons and meet up with his friends. The ogres are preparing to attack.

Frank finds Ella in the attic reading old scrolls. She mentions a piece of prophecy that the sone of Poseidon will drown in Alaska. On the roof, He finds Percy and Hazel. The ogres call out to him, ready to eat him for breakfast. He tells his friends to get Ella to the car in the garage and to get ready to leave. Frank stays on the roof and does his best to keep their focus on him. He attempts to use his family gift to turn himself into a dragon, but it doesn’t work. When the monsters start to get impatient, he goes down to the attack and uses a potato launcher to fire spuds at them. The starch is highly affective against the ogres. He grabs a new bow and bag of mixed arrows. He uses them to fight off the ogres and get to the Cadillac just as Percy is getting ready to get them out of the garage. Frank jumps into the back seat with Hazel and they take off. When they reach the airfield, Frank sends his friends ahead while he shoots different types of arrows at the ogres. Ella refuses to get into the plane. Percy tells her to stay in the area and he will send a friend to help her. Once the three heroes are inside, the pilot takes off.

Percy isn’t thrilled about being in a plane, but he knows it is necessary. His memories have been coming back slowly since drinking the gorgon blood. He tells his new friends that his is from the Greek camp, Camp Half-blood. They all realize that Juno is trying to unite them to stop Gaea, but Octavian will declare war if the Greeks arrive at Camp Jupiter in a war ship. He needs to get into contact with his friends in order to send help for Ella. There is a couch and Percy goes to sleep. He dreams of Tyson at the burned down Zhang mansion. He tells his half brother about Ella and to protect her. Tyson gets the message and takes off. Next, Percy dreams about Polybotes looking down at camp Jupiter. Ms. Gasket and her cyclopses have made a stop for a winery tour and will be joining them the next day. Polybotes is willing to wait for the Feast of Fortuna to attack. Percy wakes up as the plane is starting to land.

The three heroes stop at a diner for food. Hazel marvels at how much Anchorage has changed since she was last there seventy years ago. All around are blue giants called hyperboreans. They are peaceful and don’t seem to take notice of the people. The mortals don’t see them at all. Percy finds a payphone and calls his mom’s apartment. He gets voicemail and leaves her message letting her know he is on a quest and will return when he can. The heroes get on a train and start heading to Seward. Percy is less worried about the prophecy that says he will drown and more worried about the one that says a daughter of Athena will burn through Rome. They are on the top of a double decker train car and take in the scenery along the way. When a group of people start marveling at large eagles, Frank points out they aren’t eagles at all, but large monsters. They fly at the car and the train jumps the tracks.

As the monsters get close, the heroes can see they are gryphons. One takes Percy by the arms and takes off flying. Percy isn’t able to get free, but Frank is able to shoot it down with an arrow. Percy falls to the ground and is okay. They end up at the pack’s nest, which has gold objects all over the place. Hazel creates a distraction using the gold (which includes the gryphons’s eggs) and they make a run for a hyperborean in the distance. They hid under its leg and the gryphons start swooping around it. It uses its breath to freeze the gryphons. Percy and his friends sneak away while they can.

When they arrive at Seward, Hazel is surprised at the size of the town. Before she can warn him, Percy falls into mud that acts like quicksand. Hazel orders Frank to hand her one of his bow and for him to not let go of the other. She jumps into the mud and hopes she can reach Percy. He is able to grab her ankle and she jerks the bow to let Frank know to pull them up. He does and they are all safe for a moment.

The three heroes make it into Seward, and Hazel is amazed at how much everything has changed. Her old home is still standing, but it bad shape. She crawls inside through a window and sees boxes of greeting cards have been stored there. She removes a sign to see her old pictures and drawings are still hanging on the wall. Percy asks about Sammy and says he looks familiar. Frank leaves them to go get supplies. Percy and Hazel set up the boxes like mattresses and try to get some rest while they wait. Percy wonders if the prophecy of him drowning was going to be in the earth. Hazel reminds him the rest of the page was burnt and it could mean something completely different. Frank returns with supplies and they go to get food. Hazel talks to some locals and finds out Hubbard Glacier is much further than she thought. A gryphon attacks and Percy is able to use his control over water to knock it into the sea. There are more in the distance coming right for them. Arion appears to take them across the water and to the glacier.

Arion runs on top of the water to get to the glacier. He is able to run and jump his way up to the top. They come to a Roman-like city at the top. Death is chained up in the middle and appears to be alone. They all know it is most likely a trap, but don’t have any choice but to step into it. As soon as they start to approach Death, Alcyoneus’ ghostly army of fallen Romans arrive.

Death is surprised they are so determined to free him; especially Hazel, his master’s daughter, who has already died. Hazel and Frank both commit to freeing Death to save the rest of the world. Death tells them the fire of life is the only thing that can break his chains. Frank knows he means the piece of wood that is tied to his life line. The golden giant Alcyoneus appears and greets them.

The three heroes don’t have much time to plan out their attacks. Frank knows what he has to do and asks Hazel for the stick she is holding for him. After he assures her he is ready, she gives it back to him. Alcyoneus has been following Percy’s life and is excited at the thought of him joining them. He tells them Kronos’ mistake was not destroying the gods at their roots. They quickly decide Percy will keep the ghosts away from Frank. Hazel decides she will fight the giant made to be her father’s enemy. She rides off on Arion.

Frank starts burning away the chains around Death’s feet first. He can feel his life burning away as he uses the fire of his life to break the chains. He sees Percy is distracting the ghosts using a hurricane and the legion’s eagle. Once Death is free, he promises to keep those that die on the battle field dead. Frank hears Hazel scream, but sees Percy is also being overrun by enemies. Percy shouts for Frank to go help Hazel and he does. He sees Arion trying to protect Hazel as she struggles to get up. Frank focuses on his family gift and turns himself into an Eagle. He claws at Alcyoneus’ eyes and lands in front of Hazel. He changes into a bear next and charges at the giant. He is able to knock Alcyoneus down and starts beating him with a heavy Roman shield. Alcyoneus laughs at him knowing he can’t be killed in his home, which is now Alaska. Frank tells Hazel they have to try to get Arion to drag the giant far away. She points out that Percy is being over taken. Percy yells for them to go. He stabs his sword into the glacier. The ghostly army, parts of the glacier, and Percy are taken down in a wave of icy water.

Frank is so stunned that Hazel has to get his attention to knock out Alcyoneus again. Thanatos reminds them they cannot kill the giant in Alaska. Hazel asks if he is going to take her back to the underworld, but she is not on his list. He tells them he will need to go to the original Rome to close the doors of Death, but he doesn’t know how they will do it. Not able to help Percy right away, Frank and Hazel have Arion pull Alcyoneus out of Alaska and into Canada. Frank becomes an elephant to fight him and Hazel uses her sword to kill the giant. They race back to Glacier bay.

Percy is waiting for them when they return. They fill him in on why the left and Percy is jealous of Frank’s power to transform himself into animals. They spend some time gathering imperial gold weapons to take back to Camp Jupiter. They pack as much as they can into a chariot and have Arion pull it for them.

When they get back to camp, it doesn’t look good for their side. Frank is surprised Lupa isn’t there to help them, but Percy knows she has to look out for her own pack. Percy whistles and Tyson, Mrs. O’Leary, and Ella come to them. He introduces everyone quickly and Tyson is excited to have another relative (Frank).

Hazel rides Arion, Frank becomes an eagle, and Tyson charges into battle. Percy hooks the chariot up to Mrs. O’Leary and have her carry the weapons down to the Fifth Cohort. They follow the eagle and Percy to join with the Third to scare off the centaurs. They head towards Polybotes and the First and Second Cohorts. Percy raises up the eagle and it shoots lightning that destroys an entire line of monsters. He hands the eagle off to Dakota and sends Frank, Hazel, and Tyson to help the Fourth Cohort that is surrounded by cyclopses. The Amazon arrive lead by Hylla and fight with the Romans. Percy challenges the giant and quickly learns Polybotes’ touch changes water to poison. The demigod knows he needs a god’s help to kill him. He leads the giant into town where Terminus’ statue is. He is not happy that Percy tries to bring a weapon inside the Pomerian Line. Polybotes ends up crushing the statue as he takes his trident over the line, so Terminus agrees to help Percy, who uses the statue’s head to kill Polybotes. The Roman army chants for Percy to be their new Praetor.

They Feast of Fortuna is held and Percy moves from table to table to talk to people. Kinzie expresses her interest in Percy, but he isn’t interested. Percy is taken off probation and given medals. That night to celebrate, Hazel, Frank, and Percy walk around town. Percy decides to go to bed early to give them some time alone together. Juno appears in Percy’s dream. He is furious he has lost eight months, but she tries to explain it was necessary to keep him out of play for a while. She tell him Annabeth will be an issue on the quest, but Percy can’t believe his girlfriend wouldn’t be one of the best people to take on the quest.

The next morning, Percy meets up with his friends on the way to the council meeting. Frank shows him that Mars left him The Art of War by Sun Tzu, which was Frank’s mother’s favorite book. Hazel thinks she must be cut off from her father as a way to preserve her life. Pluto wouldn’t be able to let her live if he saw her escaped from the underworld. Percy explains he needs both of them on the next quest as part of the seven demigods. They all agree they will need to take Ella because Octavian would abuse her. Tyson brings Percy a scroll from Leo saying they are about an hour away from Camp Jupiter in their war ship. This is the subject of discussion when they get to the council meeting. Percy puts his life on the line that the Greeks are there to help them. Reyna supports him and they let the ship land.

Jason wakes up in the back of a school bus holding a girls hand. He doesn’t know her and can’t remember who he is. Another boy, Leo, joins in their conversation. Jason admits he doesn’t know either of them. The girl, Piper, is worried about him and thinks he might have a concussion. They explain he is on a field trip with the Wilderness School - a school for delinquent children. Coach Hedge gives them instructions about completing their worksheets. Leo asks him to use his megaphone. When Hedge does, he gets odd sounds (Leo’s doing). They arrive at the museum and go inside. Piper is paired with a guy named Jason. Leo is paired with Jason. As they walk through the museum, some of the other girls make fun of Piper for her Native American heritage. She ignores them. Jason wants to do something, but Leo warns him that Piper doesn’t like them fighting her battles. When they get outside to the sky walk, Coach Hedge sets them to completing their worksheets. Jason goes to the Coach to tell him he doesn’t remember anything and doesn’t belong there. The coach admits he has never seen him before that day. He thinks Jason is very powerful with the mist and most likely a half-blood. He says there are two others there he has to watch as well. There was supposed to be a package that is going to be picked up and Hedge wonders if that is Jason. There is a storm just above where they are and it starts getting intense. Hedge orders everyone back inside.

Dylan reveals he is a ventus - a storm spirit - and kicks up the winds to hurricane levels. He uses the wind to knock Leo off of the sky walk and into the grand canyon. Coach Hedge takes off his cap and shoes to reveal that he is a satyr. He goes after Leo, who is holding on to the wall of the massive chasm. Dylan admits he has known about Piper and Leo for a while, but held out until Jason arrived. He shoots electricity at Jason and Jason loses a shoe. Dylan is surprised when Jason gets up; still alive. Jason pulls the coin out of his pocket and flips it into the air so it becomes a completely golden sword. He takes out all the venti surrounding them except for Dylan. Hedge returns carrying Leo back up from the canyon. Dylan says his Mistress is calling him back and intends to take Jason with him. Piper tackles Dylan from behind and ends up being thrown over the edge of the canyon. Dylan decides to take half-conscious Leo instead of Jason. Hedge charges at Dylan to rescue Leo and shouts for Jason to go after Piper. Coach Hedge disappears with Dylan. Jason launches himself off the cliff and quickly catches up with Piper. He grabs her and gets ready to die. Suddenly, he realizes they are floating. The air supports him and he is able to launch them out of the canyon. When they get to the top, they check on Leo. Annabeth and Butch arrive in a chariot for their extraction to camp. Annabeth is disappointed the boy with one shoe she was sent to find is Jason and not her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, who has been missing for three days.

Piper, Jason and Leo join Annabeth and Butch on their chariot to go to Camp Half-Blood where they will be safe. On the way, Annabeth explains who they are. When the storm spirits start to gather to attack, Butch has the Pegasi make a jump and they arrive over the camp. Their wheels are gone and they end. Up crashing into the lake. They are pulled out quickly and the water nymphs get the destroyed chariot out of the water. Leo is quickly claimed by Hephaestus. Annabeth sends Jason with Drew to the big house to meet Chiron. She seems over pleased with herself for being able to spend separate Piper and Jason. Piper knows they will be enemies. Annabeth offers to show Piper around the camp.

Piper can tell that Annabeth is distracted while they walk around the camp. High up on the hill, Annabeth starts showing Piper all of the different cabins and explaining which gods children live in each one. Piper is a bit distracted herself. She had a dream that told her if she didn’t do what she was told, they would kill her father and make her pay painfully with everything. Piper tries to focus on not making friends. Annabeth tells her that Jason really did just show up at her school that day, but the mist is making her thing otherwise. Piper is disturbed that her vivid memories of getting to know and date Jason were fake. They stop by the weapons shed and Piper ends up picking out a dagger that belonged to Helen of Troy. When she takes it out of its sheath, she sees an image matching the voice in her dream. She drops it in her fear, but is able to convince Annabeth she is okay and still wants the dagger. As they go on, Annabeth tells her the big three - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades - made a pact not to have any more demigod children, but mess up sometimes. They walk by the cabins and none feel like home to Piper. When they get to Zeus and Hera’s cabins, she notices there are footprints in the dust leading into Heras. Annabeth is reluctant to go in, but Piper strolls right in. She knows right away that she doesn’t like Hera. Rachel, the oracle, is there and Annabeth introduces them. Just as Piper is about to confess about her dream, Rachel grabs her. She tells her to free her by the solstice or the death will swallow them. “The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all.”

Will Solace shows Leo around the camp. As they come to the cabins, Leo sees his old babysitter, Tia Callida, who tried to kill him when he was five. They end up at Cabin Nine, where the Hephaestus kids live. Jake Mason, the cabin’s Counselor since Charles Beckendorf died, is in a full body cast in his bunk. He asks Leo if he believes in ghosts or curses. Leo lies and says that he doesn’t. Jake assigns him Beckendorf’s old bunk and tells him there is a private room underneath. Leo takes a minute to explore all of the gadgets and features of his new bunk. Jake promises him Beckendorf didn’t die in the bed before he draws his camouflage curtain to get some sleep.

The last stop on Leo’s tour is the forges. He is impressed with his half-siblings and their projects, but none of them are functioning properly. He ends up getting needles in his shirt from a centaur-like bug killing machine that goes haywire and has to be smashed. A girl named Nyssa takes over the tour. She explains there is a dragon that the previous occupants of Cabin Nine had created. Beckendorf got it working and under control, but now that he is dead, it roams free and terrorizes the camp. Jake tried to control it, but ended up in the body cast. Leo asks if children are resistant to fire since he is the god of forge and fire. She explains it is very rare and dangerous for a demigod to have that ability. When they all go to dinner, Leo asks to stay behind for a few minutes to take it all in. He does something he hasn’t allowed himself to do since the accident that killed his mother. His fingers tingle and fire crawls across his palm.

Jason arrives at the Big House with Drew. She is impressed with him, but she makes him feel uncomfortable. When Chiron comes out to meet them, he mentions that Jason is supposed to be dead. The centaur sends Drew on her way and invites Jason in for lemonade. He wants to tell Jason what he knows, but he has sworn an oath that he will not. He notices Jason is referring to the gods by their Roman names and starts speaking to him in Latin. Jason answers in the same language. A dark mist pours out of the mouth of a stuffed leopard Dionysus brought to life. Jason grabs his coin and quickly flips it in the air to turn it into a sword. A woman appears saying she is his patron because his father gave him to her. It has taken her a month to be able to contact him. She needs Jason to free her from her prison and promises she will return his memories when he does. When she goes away, Chiron finishes his sentence. Jason explains what happened when time was frozen and asks Chiron to tell him what is going on. Rachel and Annabeth come in carrying Piper.

Chiron makes sure Piper is still alive and Annabeth goes to get the medical kit. Rachel explains the message that came through her to Piper and says it is not the same as when the Oracle of Delphi speaks through her. Jason asks if Piper was also asked to free the woman from her prison and Rachel confirms. They determine that Hera/Juno is the one that came to them. Chiron reaffirms he is not able to help them on this, but confirms it is bad news. He leaves them to decide what to do next. Rachel stays to watch over Piper while Annabeth takes Jason to Cabin Fifteen for the children of Hypnos. The cabin is filled with beds. They wake up a boy named Clovis. He tries to help Jason recover his memories, but tells him since they were stolen by a god, only that god could give them back. When Jason mentions freeing Juno, Clovis points out that the gods change when they take different forms. The Roman versions are much more war oriented. The fact that Juno rather than Hera appeared to Jason could mean something. Annabeth is starting to think Jason is in a lot of trouble.

Piper dreams about surfing with her father. She is waiting to tell him about stealing the BMW until after their day together is over. He barely has time for her and taking the car was her attempt at getting his attention. She asks about her mother and he tells her about the Ghost Country out west his father told him about. He doesn’t know where her mother is, but he knows he will never see her again. His assistant, Jane arrives and tells him about Piper stealing the car. He tells Piper she is going to a special school in Nevada to keep the dealership from pressing charges. The dream turns and the fiery giant, Enceladus, warns her that if she doesn’t do what he says, he will eat her father. When Piper wakes up, Rachel is there with her. She explains that Jason had a vision similar to hers and she thinks they are meant to work together. She tries to reassure Piper that everything will work out, but Piper isn’t so sure. The sound of a conch horn signals it is time for the campfire to start.

At the campfire, there are about fifty demigods and Chiron gathered around. The flames change with the crowds emotions. Annabeth tells everyone she didn’t find Percy, but did bring back new campers. Drew asks if the Great Prophecy has started. Rachel confirms that it has. Seven demigods, an oath, and death are all mentioned. Jason knows the prophecy in latin. Since Jason is the one that got the vision from Hera, it is his quest. They know they must free Hera by the winter solstice which is the next time the gods will gather. Chiron points out that Jason was claimed by Zeus long ago. He flips his coin and this time it lands on tails and becomes a spear that shoots lightning. Rachel gives him a prophecy saying he will need help from the forge and the dove. Nyssa volunteers to go with Jason on his question, but Leo knows it is his duty and promises a ride. Drew offers to fill the role of the dove, but Piper insists. She uses her powers of persuasion to convince most of the crowd. She is made over quickly and claimed by Aphrodite.

Leo leaves everyone at the fire and starts into the woods. He remembers Tia Callida and now knows she was Hera. She put him into a fireplace to sleep as a baby. He dreamt of a flying boat until his mother came home and pulled him out. She would put him through small trials to initiate his training so he could be the hero she would need. She gave him a knife to learn blades and a rattle snake to learn bravery. When he was five, he burned an inch deep imprint of his hands into a picnic table at his apartment complex. His mom tells him not to play with fire until he meets his father. When he was eight, he went to the machine shop with his mother. As they are leaving, she realizes she forgot her keys and goes back for them. Leo is locked in the break room. A woman in a shifting dirt dress appears saying she is going to kill his mom to dampen his spirit. She warns him to remember that day when he is asked to fight against her. Leo uses his fire to try to protect her, but loses consciousness instead. When he wakes up, the shop is burned down and the paramedics tell him his mother didn’t make it out. The police are suspicious of him because they know the fire started where he was. When the social workers take him to his relatives, they send him away saying he has a demon inside him. He goes through foster families, but always ends up running. Now he knows he has to go on the quest with Jason. Since they need to avoid the earth as the prophecy warned and he doesn’t have time to build the flying boat yet, Leo is going after the dragon in the woods.

Using his flame to navigate through the woods, Leo finds one of the traps the Hephaestus cabin set up to catch the dragon. He starts to inspect in and finds there is motor oil and tabasco sauce as bate and a large net that is meant to hold the dragon. Leo tests out the trap, but his weight isn’t enough to set it off. He gets to the middle of the trap before he realizes the dragon has snuck up on him. It shoots flames at Leo, but he isn’t hurt. He tries to convince it not to come after him because it will trap them both, but the dragon doesn’t listen. With the dragon in the net, Leo is able to get to the circuit board and finds a dirty disc. He cleans it as best he can, but knows it still needs work. When he releases the dragon, it has him get on its back. They go through the woods until they come to a door in the cliff. Leo is able to open it and finds Cabin 9’s abandoned bunker. He sees a drawing of plans for the flying ship from his dream. The dragon (Leo names Festus) curls up on the pad it was most likely created in and points to the ceiling. Leo sees they have a lot of work to do.

Jason dreams of being in a burnt mansion with wolves. The she-wolf, Lupa, tells him this is where he started his journey and he needs to find his way back. While the wolves do not care for Hera/Juno, they know it will be much worse for all if she is not freed.

Zeus’ cabin feels cold and unwelcoming to Jason. He can’t help feeling like he doesn’t belong there. The giant statue of his father in the middle of the room seems to be staring down at him. He sees a bed roll and some pictures over in the corner where the eyes of the statue can’t seem to reach. He looks at the pictures of Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia. Annabeth comes in and he asks her again if she wants to join them on his quest. She says she can’t. He can tell she knows more about the quest than she is saying. She warns him that it is usually better for heroes to learn about their quests in their own time. She does advise him to follow the monsters: the god of the north wind: Boreas, who is in Quebec, Canada. She sees him looking at the pictures and tells him that Thalia was a daughter of Zeus, but is now one of Artemis’ hunters. Something about Thalia seems familiar. He asks what her last name was. While Thalia hardly used a last name, when she did, she used her mothers: Grace. Jason makes Annabeth swear to keep a secret before he reveals his revelations. She agrees and he tells her Thalia is his sister.

Piper wakes up in the cabin ten and can’t get rid of the blessing from Aphrodite. Drew announces that Piper can help a boy named Mitchel with trash duty. Mitchel uses the opportunity to welcome Piper. He admits he got the worst chore because he told Drew that Piper might not be so bad. A young girl named Lacey brings her a backpack of supplies she collected from their cabin mates for her quest. Mitchel explains Drew is their cabin counselor because she is the oldest member since Selina died in the Titan War. Drew comes over to tell Piper that Selina was a traitor and implies that Piper is too. She insists Piper’s dad must be trash, but Piper reveals her father is Tristan McLean, a famous movie star. Everyone is curious if Piper has gone through her “right of passage” as a daughter of Aphrodite - break someone’s heart on purpose. Piper thinks this is an awful tradition. She tells them all that Drew is a dictator and they need to think for themselves. She believes there is more to being a child of Aphrodite, but isn’t able to define it before she leaves them.

Outside of the cabin, Leo arrives with Festus. Everyone is shocked or hiding in fear. Jason, Annabeth, and Nyssa come right up to them. Leo doesn’t tell them about the deserted bunker and says he found everything he needed in the woods. Annabeth is impressed and thinks it is a good omen for their quest. Jason and Piper confirm they are ready to go. Leo shows them how the dragon was built for riding and they take off. Piper sees Jason looking at a picture of Thalia and wonders who she is.

As they continue to fly north in search of Boreas, the three heroes go over their plans. Jason tells them they need to find Boreas, find the venti, and free Hera. He tells them about his dream with Lupa the wolf. Piper reminds them the prophecy mentions giants; after the first Titan War, the giants attacked Mount Olympus. Leo tells them about Tia Callida (Hera) and how he saw her at camp. Leaving out the fact that he has fire abilities, Leo tells them about his mom’s death. Leo isn’t sure freeing Hera and causing deaths is the best plan, but they are all sure it is better than the deaths that would occur if they don’t free the goddess. Piper promises not to let Leo fall of Festus so he can sleep while they travel to Quebec.

Leo wakes up as the sun is starting to set and they have reached Quebec. Two Boreads, Calais and Zethes come up to them to destroy them for not having air clearance. Piper is able to convince them it is an emergency landing. They lead them to the tower of a hotel in a castle. The entire place is covered in ice and they want the dragon deactivated for safety. Leo presses a button and Festus folds up into a very heavy suitcase. They still smell fire on Leo and insist he stays behind. Jason and Piper look to Leo for a decision, but he assures them he will be fine waiting for them there. When Jason tells them his name and that he is a son of Zeus, the Boreads wonder if he is the same Jason as the first one (even though they know he died a mortal death a long time ago). The girl leads Jason and Piper to go meet the king, Boreas.

Jason is thinking about Thalia as they walk up the stairs to go meet Boreas. He wonders how they are related. Piper is with him and he takes her hand to reassure her they will be fine. When the girl, Khione goddess of snow, sees this, she freezes their hands to make them let go of each other. They get to the throne room and Khione leads them in, saying she will be translating for them.

Boreas introduces himself, but before Khione can translate, Piper speaks back to him in French (all children of Aphrodite can speak French because it is the language of love). Khione is annoyed, but Boreas is impressed and starts speaking to them in English. He says they have orders to kill all demigods because he boss, Aeolus, hates them. However, he knows that Jason is a son of Zeus and he was told to listen to him before passing judgement. Piper tells their story since the Grand Canyon. Boreas gets a glimpse of Jason’s tattoo and it seems to influence his decision. He transforms into his Roman form, Aquilon, and says it is odd that Jason ended up at Camp Half-Blood. He thinks Jason will provide them entertainment and the demigods will rip each other apart. He reveals the storm spirits they are seeking are in Chicago. If they bring them to Aeolus, he will help them find Hera. He implies the person that holds Hera and the storm spirits mistress are different people. Zethes escorts them out and Leo has Festus ready for them to leave.

The demigods fly towards Chicago and Leo hands out sandwiches for each of them. Piper wonders what he is hiding since he was the only one the Boreads could smell fire on. She knows she is hiding her own secrets, so she doesn’t press the matter. She remembers camping in her Grandpa Tom’s front yard after he died. Her dad had planned to go there to fix it up in order to sell it, but decided to keep it instead. She asked him why he never played Native American roles and he says it is too close to home. Piper falls asleep and dreams of her father’s captor. He says he has learned patients from being trapped under a mountain. He shows her where he is and tells her to bring Jason and Leo to him so he can kill them. Piper becomes determined to rescue her father without betraying her friends. She wakes up and is falling through the air.

Jason is able to catch up to Piper and has her grab onto him. They race down to where Leo is also falling through the air. Jason is able to slow down there fall some, but they end up crash landing on top of a factory and fall through the roof. Piper lands on the catwalk and ends up breaking her ankle. Leo goes off to find Festus and find out what happened. Jason wants to stay with her, but they hear something and she sends him after Leo. When she hears a voice that sounds like Jason looking for her, Piper gets worried. She stops concerning herself with how much ambrosia she can eat without burning herself up and ends up eating the whole bar. Her ankle starts to heal quicker, but not quick enough for her to get away from the Cyclops that was impersonating Jason’s voice.

Leo finds Festus has landed on a line of portable toilets. He gets to work and finds the disc in the dragon’s brain has frozen over. This is the one piece he didn’t want to break because he isn’t sure how to fix it. He remembers his mother saying nothing is so broken it can’t be fixed, so he sets to work on it. The Earth woman appears in the chemicals and tells him to leave his friends to die. Leo hears the clashing of metal and rushes in to help his friends with a hammer he summons from his magical tool belt.

Leo gets back into the factory to find Piper and an unconscious Jason are being hung over a cooking fire in preparation for a spit. Two Cyclopses, Torque and Sump, are watching the demigods. Piper tries to charm-speak them into letting her and Jason go, but the third Cyclopes, Ma Gadget, their mother, tells them what Piper is trying to do and brings them back to their own minds. The large mother Cyclops sends Sump to get her salsa to put on her heroes as she eats them. She orders Jason to be killed first since he is about to die anyway. Leo sneaks around the warehouse rigging the large machinery arms so they will work with his universal remote. He uses the first one to throw Torque into the air and dust floats down indicating he has died. Sump returns with the salsa and Leo uses the next arm to hit him so hard he also turns to dust. Ma Gadget rips the arms apart, taking away Leo’s weapons. She throws some coals at him and then a barrel of kerosene, but Leo is not affected. He gets her to step under the large engine that is being suspended above and then uses his fire to break the weak link in the chain that is holding it up. She dies when it lands. Leo is weakened from the effort of concentrating the fire. He is able to get Piper and Jason down, but they have to leave in a hurry because the dust is starting to collect back into the Cyclopses bodies. Part of the prophecy that Tartarus wouldn’t hold monsters and Hades wouldn’t be able to hold souls.

Hera appears to Jason in a dream. Zeus thinks they might be able to avoid the upcoming conflict by not being as involved in the lives of humans and demigods. Hera heard a voice telling her to go to where she was captured. She admits she has fallen for this trap before and still went. She warns Jason he will face his worst enemy in Chicago and might be killed by her. Hera shows him she is unable to escape and weakening. Jason wakes up on Festus and Piper tells him what he missed out on. He feels awful for leaving his friends to defeat the Cyclopses by themselves. Leo tells them about seeing the Earth Woman’s face in the sludge outside the factory. When they are over Chicago, they spot a ventus.

The three heroes follow the ventus to the Crown Fountain where there are a group of Venti that go down the drain. They follow and decide the relatively dry location is a good place to rest. Leo uses his pack and magic tool belt to make them tacos. Jason asks if Piper’s dad is in trouble, but she tells him she can’t talk about it. After they eat, Piper falls asleep with her head in Jason’s lap. Jason tries to reassure Leo that he wasn’t responsible for his mother’s death. He tells Leo to get some sleep. When they are all rested, they decide to follow a draft south. They come to elevator doors that lead to a magical department store. They decide to start at the top floor. From there they spot Coach Hedge in a cage down on the first floor and decide they need to rescue him. Before they can start, a well polished woman calling herself a princess appears and asks if she can help them. Jason introduces them and she seems to glow oddly for a second before agreeing to help them.

Piper wants to attack the woman, but Jason and Leo seem to be under her charm-speak spell. Piper is too scared to use her own charm-speak to convince them the woman is evil. She follows as the woman leads the boys through the store showing them different products. She shows them a potion that can cure any ailment. It could possibly restore Jason’s memory, so Piper has interest in it. She asks the price and the woman tries to charm-speak her into agreeing to pay anything for it. Piper is able to resist. She tries to convince her friends to leave again, but they are still under the spell.

While the princess is showing Leo a forge that can be used to make weapons of imperial gold (like Jason’s sword), Piper tries to convince Jason that the woman, Medea, is dangerous. Medea has Jason and Leo start fighting each other while she uses a diamond to send an Iris message to Jane (Piper’s dad’s assistant). Jane was manipulated into helping with the capture of Piper’s dad. Medea agrees to let him go if Piper allows Jason and Leo to kill each other. She refuses. She is able to get both boys’ attention and explains Medea helped the original Jason steal the golden fleece from her family. She ran away with him, had two children with him, but he left her to marry a king’s daughter in Corinth. Medea killed her own children and Jason’s new bride to get back at him. Medea releases the sun dragons she used to escape Corinth and starts back up the escalators. Piper follows the witch while the boys fight the dragons. When they get to the top floor with the potions, Piper throws a shield at Medea and spills several of them. Leo calls out for help and Festus comes crashing through the roof to save them. The dragons get locked back in their hidden kennels. Piper is able to escape Medea by jumping off the edge where Jason and Leo catch her so they can escape on the bronze dragon. They fly away and the department store explodes.

Festus is starting to show signs of wear, but Leo keeps him going to make sure Medea isn’t trying to follow them. They start heading in the direction of San Diego, even though Medea told Piper the boys would die in the Bay Area. They know they have to find Aeolus because he is the one that knows where they need to go. Jason points out the wind trail Festus has been following, but Piper and Leo can’t see it. Jason takes the reigns so Leo can get some sleep. Hephaestus appears in Leo’s dream using his cold war broadcaster. He explains the gods are ashamed because they were saved by their demigod children. They were especially upset about Percy Jackson turning down their offer to become immortal. Zeus has closed down Olympus in hopes that staying quiet will calm down the Earth’s rising giants, but Hephaestus and several other gods don’t agree. Leo is a big part of uniting everyone to fight what is coming. Hephaestus is on the verge of being caught communicating and Leo wakes up. Jason and Piper are screaming as Festus is going down.

Leo tells Jason to get Piper off Festus so he can land and hopefully salvage him. The dragon is cold and he isn’t able to get to the control panel while they are in the air. He finds a snow covered lawn that is nicely lit and decides that will be the best place to land. As they fly over, a laser hits them and Leo blacks out. When he wakes up, Festus is in pieces. The cages he was carrying are in tact. He goes over to the dragon’s head who gives him a message in morse code. Leo makes him a promise before he dies. Leo asks Hephaestus to take Festus’ head back to the bunker and it disappears. Jason and Piper are confused, but Leo says he will explain later. He throws a piece of metal into the air and the lasers incinerate it. Since they cannot fly out of the gated yard, they decide they will have to go into the white mansion to find their way out.

There are several traps on the way through the yard and to the mansion that Leo has to deactivate. When they get to the door, it is unlocked. Leo checks for traps, but doesn’t find any. They all agree to bring the cages inside and stay there until morning. When they are all settled, Jason apologizes to Leo for what he said in Chicago when he was under Medea’s spell. Leo blows it off, knowing they are still friends. Jason goes to sleep while Leo works on unlocking Coach Hedge’s cage. Jason and Piper wake up to Coach Hedge waking up and screaming. They explain their quest to him and how they found him. He believes they found him for a reason. An old man walks in wearing his bathrobe and calls for his son, Lit.

Coach Hedge immediately goes to attack the stranger, but Jason convinces him to stop and sends the satyr outside. The old man is Midas, which shocks the three young heroes since he has been dead for centuries. Piper recalls the story saying Midas gave up the magic touch Diyonisous gave him because he turned his daughter to a gold statue. He takes her backpack and turns it to gold to prove he still has the touch. Leo is able to use the newly magical bag to put the storm spirits into for easier transport. Midas points out a statue of a girl and says that is his daughter. He admits he has turned his son to gold a few times, but they use the nearby river to turn him back. When the demigods try to leave, Midas quickly turns Piper and Leo into statues. Jason takes the option to fight Lit rather than be turned to gold. Jason uses his javelin to defend himself and finds out Lit doesn’t have any defensive moves. He is able to knock Lit onto Midas’ throne and then tells Midas he will have to help him up. Midas touches his shoulder and Lit is turned to gold. Jason summons lightning to blow the roof off the mansion and trap Midas under a chandelier. Rain comes pouring in that the gold starts to fade away. Jason covers Lit with a blanket hoping that will give the victims time to escape. Jason calls for Coach Hedge to grab Leo while he carries Piper away from the mansion.

When Piper wakes up, she is in a cave with her friends and Leo is keeping a fire going. Jason explains it took a bit longer than Leo to get her turned back from gold. He harnessed the storm spirits to get them away from the mansion, and he followed the trail to a mountain, Pikes Peak, in Colorado. Coach Hedge says Aeolus’ place is most likely anchored above them. Leo tells them about the conversation he had with his father, Hephaestus. Piper remembers her dad telling her the story of her name. There was a Cherokee woman who killed the king of the rattlesnakes because it was too close to her children. Rather than going to war, the husband sacrificed the woman to the snakes. Now whenever a Cherokee sings the snake song, rattlesnakes will not bite them. Piper decides to tell her friends about her dad being held captive by Enceladus. They discern that Enceladus is trying to lure them to the Bay Area to rather than letting them get to where Hera is being kept. They all agree that it is a trap and they need to focus on freeing Hera. Even if they did go to the Bay Area to rescue Piper’s dad, Enceladus would likely not let Piper live either because she is one of the seven demigods from the prophecy.

Wolves start howling and shortly after arrive at the cave. The king of the werewolves is bitter towards Jason because Zeus is the one that killed his fifty sons and turned him into a wolf. Piper remembers the story and that Zeus did that because Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh. The wolf admits he cannot kill Jason because someone else has already claimed the privilege (Piper wonders if it is Medea already reformed). Leo throws gas at them and then uses fire until he is worn out. Piper tries to stand and pulls out her dagger. Just as the wolves are getting ready to attack, silver arrows start piercing them. They run away with a group of Artemis’ hunters chasing after them. One hunter stays behind the check on them. Piper asks if her name is Thalia. She removes her hood. Jason tells her he is her brother.

Thalia asks Leo and Coach Hedge to take Piper outside so another hunter, Phoebe, can heal her. Jason asks Leo to stay with him and Leo agrees to it. Thalia tells Jason that their mother was a television actress and became an alcoholic. Zeus came back to her for a little while, but seemed to be a completely different person. He left again soon after. Jason was born and Hera insisted on his name. Thalia would take care of him. When Jason was two, they went out for a picnic and their mom asked Thalia to get something out of the car. When she got back to them, Jason was gone. Their mother said he might as well be dead. Thalia never told anyone about her little brother. A white wolf comes to the door and signals for Thalia. She says she has to get ready to go before she looses the trail of her fellow hunters. She agrees to help Jason get to Aeolus fortress first.

Outside the cave, Phoebe has set up a tent with a heater to heal Piper. Thalia sends Piper ahead while she takes the others to the misty ice bridge that leads to the fortress. Leo asks why a bridge is needed if the residents can fly. Thalia points out they need to be grounded to Earth sometimes, like now. Leo realizes that Hera called Jason a bridge. He thinks Jason is the key to bridging the gap between Camp Half Blood and the kids that wear the purple shirts. He gets so excited about the idea that he starts melting the bridge. Jason and Leo are able to make it across the bridge, but Thalia has to go back. She tells them to go save Piper’s dad. She and the hunters will go to the other wolves and Hera and hold them until Jason and his friends can get there to rescue the goddess. Jason says he doesn’t know where the other wolves are, but Thalia tells him he does.

Even though he knows it isn’t fair, Jason feels resentment toward Thalia because she never came looking for him. She has a new life for herself and he doesn’t remember anything. The group makes their way into the fortress where the yard is divided into four seasons. Coach Hedge wanders off to go eat some grass in the spring time part. Millie, an aura, meets them and agrees to take them to meet Aeolus.

Aeolus is in a control room and watches several screens, reads paper airplane messages, and seems to be directing the airwaves of Olympus’ own weather channel. There isn’t a floor around him and harpies have to be called to have a path made for their group. Aeolus agrees to meet with the demigods because he thinks they are there to discuss his contract with Olympus. He wants to be a god, not just master of the winds. He goes on air and tries to predict the weather based on what the gods are doing at the moment, but everything changes so quickly. When he returns, Jason explains they brought him his rouge storm spirits. He asks for the wind master’s help. Aeolus is not happy Jason is back for help a second time. Piper explains they only need to know the location of Enceladus so they can save her father and Hera. Aeolus gives her a picture of her and her father and Leo’s childhood drawing of his ship to Leo (he gets all things that are lost in the wind). Aphrodite and Hephaestus both tell Aeolus to help them. The wind master tells them Enceladus is just east of the San Francisco Bay. Coach Hedge joins them and Mellie is taken by him. Aeolus gets another message from the Earth woman and he decides they must die. They are knocked off the floor and fall into the chasm. Mellie uses her robes and has Jason help her land them in one of the below tunnels. She helps them escape, but they are flung into the air so hard that Jason is knocked out.

Piper dreams that she is on the roof of the Wilderness school with Jason watching a meteor shower. She asks him to dance and they do so without music. They kiss and she smiles. Aphrodite breaks into Piper’s dream. Piper is shocked that she remembers something so vividly that never happened. Her mother explains it is because Piper is her daughter and can see future possibilities. Aphrodite admits she is the oldest Olympian. When Kronos cut up his father Ouranos with his scythe and the pieces fell into the ocean, Aphrodite was born from the foam created. When the Titans were defeated, Gaea created the giants to eliminate Olympus. The only hope the Olympians have now is to have the two sides unite the seven greatest living demigods. Piper will be the mediator for the group once they all come together because she is the daughter of Aphrodite, who’s son Aeleas left to start the Roman Empire in Italy after the Trojan war. The goddess gives Piper a vial of liquid to give to her father to erase his memories of what happened to him. Piper doesn’t agree with it at first, but remembers him saying he would go crazy if he though it was all true. Aphrodite sends her daughter back to reality.

Piper and her friends wake up in a cafe with new clothes (Jason was barely changed) on and she has cash in her pocket. They order food and discuss their next steps. Leo has the drawing of the ship in the pocket of his new clothes, but he assures the others that is for later. Coach Hedge tells the story about Gaea having 12 Titan children with Ouranos and then convincing their son, Kronos, to kill him. Since Gaea is so large, it is difficult for her to stay awake, but if they don’t rescue Hera, she will awake and life as they know it will end. Piper doesn’t want to send her friends into a trap, but they are willing to go.

The demigods and Coach Hedge take a taxi as far up the mountain as they can. When they get out, Leo notices the car is sinking into the Earth and so are they. He pays the driver and tells him to get out of there as quickly as possible. They make their way to the top of Mount Diablo and Jason points out the surrounding cities like he knows the area well. At the top, Enceladus has a bonfire, large construction machinery, and Piper’s dad tied to a stake. Coach Hedge suggests the boys distract the giant while Piper saves her dad. They all look to Jason and he agrees it is the best plan they have.

Coach Hedge is knocked out almost instantly. Leo is able to get a wind up device he made on the walk up into a bulldozer before Enceladus spots Piper. The giant raises six Earthborn ogre-like monsters from the ground. He tells them Piper’s dad is Jason so they go after him. Jason goes after Enceladus. Leo gets to the harvester and is able to use the blades to kill three of the Earthborn. They form rocks from the dirt and take out the machine. Leo calls on dozer and the machine comes to life to protect Piper while she gets her dad free. It kills two ogres before they destroy it. The last Earthborn rushes after Piper and Leo shoves a screwdriver into its forehead. What that doesn’t stop it, Piper kills it with her knife. They immediately go to help Jason.

Jason fights Enceladus by himself. He tries to use speed to out maneuver the giant, but with Gaea using the earth to hold down his feet and aid Enceladus, Jason is not making any progress. Enceladus says Jason is the one that lead the assault on Mount Othrys against Krios and toppled the black throne. Jason doesn’t know what he is talking about (sounds like what Percy did). He tries to focus and fake out the giant, but his spear ends up shattered. Jason is too shocked to move quickly enough to completely avoid the giant’s fire breath.

Leo uses some remaining equipment to fire an ax at Enceladus. It sticks in his chest, but he quickly starts healing. However, he has fallen into the pit and the demigods are joined on the high ground. The giant isn’t worried about them defeating him because he knows it will take a god working together with a demigod to bring him down. Piper uses her Charm-speak on the giant to distract him while Jason leaps toward him for an attack. While on Enceladus’ head, Jason prays to his dad for help. A storm rolls in and Lighting is channelled through Jason to the giant. The ground is split and Enceladus hangs over the ledge of a chasm. He tells them his siblings are much worse than him before he falls in. The ground stops trying to pull them in and Gaea is back to sleeping for now. Coach Hedge wakes up and thinks that he defeated all the monsters. The demigods can’t help but laugh at his behavior. The mountain side is on fire and a helicopter is nearby to report on it. They decide that will be their way out.

Piper charm-speaks the helicopter pilot into flying them to the Oakland airport. Jason and Leo get her dad, Tristan, on board. Hedge gathers their supplies and they take off. On the way, Piper explains that Aphrodite is her mom and the reset of their adventure. Tristan is proud that she is an actual hero. Jason is interested in the Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24 as they fly over it.

They land on the tarmac at the Oakland airport and have Tristan’s private jet brought over. Piper says she needs to get her dad home, but he insists that she finish the quest with her friends. Hedge agrees to go with him and make sure he is okay. Piper gives her dad the vial from Aphrodite. She tells her father to take it and they will discuss Piper’s true identity someday when he is ready. He does and Coach Hedge gets him on the plane. An Iris message appears from Thalia says they have found Hera, but must defeat her captors by sundown. She gives Jason clues about where the Wolf House is and Jason determines they need to go to Sonoma Valley. Rather than taking the pilot into battle with them, the demigods agree that Leo will drive the helicopter.

Jason tells them the Wolf House is the mansion Jack London built on sacred ground where his journey started. The land is cursed. Leo and Piper have similar thoughts about Jason not being the friend they have grown to know since the Wilderness school when he gets his memories back, but they don’t think he will betray them.

There is an ice storm when they arrive at Mount Diablo. Leo is just able to land and jump out of the helicopter before it is destroyed by a giant snowball. Thalia finds them, but has to use her last arrow to take out an Earthborn. She goes back to fighting while the other three demigods go inside. They find the pool with the two spires on either end with Hera in one of them. Leo sees her as he always has: Tia Callida. He isn’t happy about freeing her, but he knows it is better than the alternative. If Porphyrion rises, she will refuse to marry him and Gaea will rise. Leo remembers the line of the prophecy telling that fire and the dove will open the cage. Khione comes in with Thalia frozen into a statue. Jason gets ready to fight while Leo and Piper will work on the cage.

Jason’s memories start flooding back to him. Khione is confident the three demigods cannot thwart her plans, so she explains that she is on Gaea’s side. The realize she is the one that froze the dragon’s wires above Detroit and has been whispering to people to encourage them to follow her directions. She plans to kill Piper and Leo and make it look like Jason did it. Jason knows this will be effective in setting demigods against each other. Khione is going to take the places of power and Leo realizes this means Greece. She offers him to switch to her side, but he laughs at her. He minions charge and the demigods get ready to fight.

Jason jumps on the back of one of the horse-shaped venti and wills it to obey him. When he realizes its name is Tempest, the horse seems to appreciate him. Together they are able to take out the other storm spirits. Piper is able to charm speak the Earthborn enough to kill them with her dagger. Leo uses his fire to scare off Khione. Hera’s cage is filing up with dirt, so Leo tells her to talk to it and lull it back to sleep. He pulls out a circular saw and Tempest uses its electricity to power it. While they work on freeing Hera from the cage, Porphyrion wakes up and starts fighting Jason. The demigod is able to pull a sword from the giant’s hair and stick it in his ear. A flash of lighting makes the blow more effective. However, Porphyrion was made to destroy Zeus. Hera is freed before the giant can land his killing blow. Porphyrion disappears into the ground. Hera warns the demigods to avert their eyes as she kills the surrounding monsters, but Jason is too tired to think.

Piper holds Jason unsure whether or not he is alive. Thalia wants Hera to bring him back, but Hera cannot. Piper feels Jason breath and calls him back. He wakes up and they give him ambrosia to heal him. Thalia and Hera continue to bicker until Piper points out they will have to work together in the future. Leo points out that Porphyrion isn’t dead. Their fight is far from over. Thalia takes off with her hunters and promises Jason they will see each other again soon. Hera admits the Grace family is the first to have children from both the Greek and Roman sides. It is typical for Roman children to be taken from their parents early and made to survive trials. Afterwards, they go to a different place than Camp Half-Blood. Jason wants to know where that is, but Hera says he will find it when the time is right. They are all frustrated with cryptic messages from the gods, but Hera knows she cannot tell them too much because they have to make their own paths. Hera whisks them back to Camp Half-Blood and they land in the middle of the Aphrodite dinning table. Everyone is shocked to see them.

After telling their story and answering questions, Chiron sends the three heroes to bed. When Piper wakes up in the morning, Drew is standing over her and making demands. Piper gets up and challenges Drew for the counselor position of the Aphrodite cabin. Drew starts to make a fuss, but Piper pulls out her dagger and offers to duel right there. Drew steps down from her position and the rest of the cabin cheers. Before Drew leaves to tell Chiron why they are late to breakfast, Piper warns Drew that Jason is hers. Later that day, Piper is able to use the computer to video chat with her dad. Coach Hedge is taking care of him and has hired Mellie as his new assistant. She is pleased that he makes more than 30 seconds for her; even if it isn’t much more than that, it is a start. Piper finds Jason after a workout. He wants to tell her something, but he says it would be best for her to find out at the meeting that night when Rachel and Annabeth are there. Piper knows their paths are meant to be together for a while and she decides she can be patient. They agree to go meet Leo for his big reveal in the woods.

Leo reveals his is a fire user and opens the door to the bunker. The Hephaestus cabin mates are impressed with the level of technology in the bunker. Leo greets the head of Festus. There is a map from the Civil War and they all wonder what that means. Chiron, who promised not to speak of the last civil war amongst demigods starts telling. Human history tends to correspond with demigod history. The American Civil War and the last demigod civil war were both devastating. The gods separated the two sides and took extreme measures to make sure they didn’t know about each other. He thinks the bunker attracts misfortune and so did not bring up its existence during the recent Titan War. Leo thinks that isn’t the case. He pulls out the drawing Aeolus returned to him and points out its matching blueprints on the bulletin board. He knows he is meant to build the flying ship, the Argo II using Festus’ head as the mast. That is what the seven demigods in the prophecy will use to keep Porphyrion from destroying the original Mount Olympus in Greece and fully waking Gaea.

Chiron tells them they will need to have the war ship completed. They will need to leave by the summer solstice to be able to get to Greece in time. Jake Mason nominates Leo as their new lead counselor and all the Hephaestus cabin mates agree. He accepts.

Jason talks to the statue of Zeus in Cabin One. He knows his dad can’t come see him like the other godly parents do. Hera appears and tells him they needed to exchange leaders between the camps to bring them together. They need the seven greatest demigods of the age and currently, they are split between the two camps. Since the giants can only be defeated by a god and a demigod working together, they must be united. Hera disappears when Piper comes to get Jason for the meeting

There is a council meeting for the leaders of each cabin. Rachel and Annabeth are there, but Thalia is not. Jason tells their story. He explains there is another camp of demigods near San Francisco for the children of the gods in their Roman form. They two camps are kept separate because of their rivalry. When they meet on quests, the gods intervene and erase memories. Annabeth asks to go with them when the Argo II is complete. Jason thinks they need her because Percy Jackson was the one that was exchanged for Jason. The Roman demigod camp will not be kind to him if he can’t keep up with them.

Kalona watches the affects of his killing Health on Zoey. She throws her Spirit element at him as hard as she can and he can feel her soul break. He is flung away from her and Neferet comes to him. Rather than taking his body close to the sky to heal, she convinces him to risk his soul to ensure Zoey’s friends don’t try to bring hers back to her body. Neferet has him drink her blood and then she gives her blood to send him away to the spirit world with the promise she will sacrifice an innocent for his travel.

Rephaim is still hurt. He has started moving from underground to get closer to the sky and has made his nest in a closet. There is a girl’s ghost there that doesn’t understand what he is. He sends her away. He can feel the Red One’s pain through their imprint and it is so intense it brings him to his knees. Rephaim feels the best way to make it stop is to go to her, but he can’t because of his broken wing. He sends spirit to strengthen and draw her to him and watches the red mist of it float away to the south.

Stevie Rae has been healing and sleeping since the other red fledglings tried to kill her, but was saved by Eric and Lenobia. Dallas is with her when she wakes up in the House of Night infirmary. She is still stiff, but her back is mostly healed. Dallas tries to kiss her, but she pulls away. He gives her some blood bags. Lenobia comes in to give them the news about Zoey. Dragon comes in to tell her she is going to have to help lead when Neferet uses the opportunity to attack. Stevie Rae sends everyone out of her room and breaks into tears. She is completely overwhelmed by all that has happened. The red mist comes to her telling her to go to Rephaim. She decides she will go to him and if he can’t help her she will kill him.

Aphrodite cries outside of the council chamber to be let inside. Neferet says Aphrodite should go in because she is a Prophetess of Nyx. Once inside, Aphrodite sees Stark crying over Zoey’s body. Thanatos tells her their powers come from the same place: the Otherworld. Aphrodite asks Nyx to help her see Zoey and she is able to see her friend is not in her body. Aphrodite tries to tell the Council that Neferet is responsible. Neferet admits she wishes to put vampires back in control of the world, but she denies having anything to do with Zoey’s soul shattering. In her defense, Neferet has Kalona’s body brought in. Aphrodite can also see that Kalona is also not in his own body.

Zoey wakes up in a grassy meadow with a lake. She doesn’t know where she is and it takes her a few minutes to remember Heath, who is with her. She tells him she tried as hard as she could to save him. He knows she did. She starts seeing different versions of herself all around them. Heath urges her to go home, but she knows she can’t until all of the pieces of her are back together as one. She has to accomplish this before she dies. Heath thinks this is just the beginning of his journey, but Zoey has too much to accomplish in the real world. A black mist starts to curl around them. Heath takes her hand and they run.

Dallas tries to convince Stevie Rae not to leave the House of Night, but she knows she has to find a way to help Zoey. She needs her element, Earth, around her to do it. She promises Dallas she won’t go back to the Depot and gets in Zoey’s car. Dallas tells her Kalona’s soul is also missing from his body. She thanks him and leaves. As she drives, she realizes Kalona is going after Zoey. When she gets to Rephaim, they discuss their newly formed bond. They can feel each others’ emotions. She has gained his ability to heal quickly. He can sense her better because he is her consort. Stevie Rae decides they need to eat and fix his wing before they do anything else. She warns him that she will know if he lies to her, and she will kill him if he does anything to hurt Zoey. Stevie Rae uses her ability to implant things in human’s minds to get them into the Museum. She doesn’t like to do that because Nyx gave everyone free will. Zoey freed her and allowed her to make a choice and now Stevie Rae is doing the same for him. He warns her that he will join his father if he returns, but she isn’t convinced. She asks about his father’s soul shattering. He knows Neferet is behind it.

Stevie Rae and Rephaim figure out that Neferet used Zoey’s blow to Kalona to make a sacrifice and send him to the Otherworld without his body (which was banished). Rephaim says they will need someone that can sense the Spirit world to be able to go after her. He can do it, but Stevie Rae knows that is a lot to ask of him. She says they will save that as a last resort. First they will go to the Vampire High Council for help. Rephaim insists on going with Stevie Rae. She wraps his wing again and he asks her to talk to distract him. She does and he notices she mentions her mom. He suggests she tell her she is alive. She leaves Rephaim in his nest at the museum. When she gets back to the House of Night, Dallas is waiting for her. The High Council is meeting and they are not happy that Stevie Rae left during it. When she enters the meeting, Lenobia tries to scold Stevie Rae for leaving when a meeting was called. Stevie Rae reminds her that her element is Earth and she will need time alone with it to think. When the teachers start arguing over what is going on, Stevie Rae sets them straight. Aphrodite is a prophetess and they have seen her visions work. Neferet is not the reincarnation of Nyx and Kalona is not Erebus. She doesn’t have time to listen to their arguing because she (as the only High Priestess they have left) has to save Zoey. Kramisha and Dallas follow her.

Aphrodite is in the Council chambers as Neferet and Stark argue about what happened when Kalona killed Heath. Darius takes over explaining more calmly for Stark to keep him from getting into trouble. Aphrodite’s phone rings and Stevie Rae is on the other end. They exchange stories quickly. Aphrodite can see a black web of Darkness around Kalona that confirms Neferet is using evil to hold him there. However, none of the Council members are able to see it. Stevie Rae says they need to get Zoey back into her body, but in the meantime, she needs a warrior to protect her in the Otherworld. Aphrodite is convinced sending Stark after her is the best plan for both of them. Stevie Rae warns her of the story they were taught in school where a warrior went after his soul-shattered High Priestess and both died. Aphrodite scoffs at the warning. Stevie Rae reminds her not to let Neferet know what they have learned. Aphrodite gets ready to put on another act.

Neferet is in the process of being granted permission to take Kalona to Capri. Stark is furious and yells at the Council not to let her go. Aphrodite comes in and tells him she has a way to help Zoey. He calms down as she talks to the Council about Zoey being put into Stark’s care. They remind her that in their records, a warrior that has followed his High Priestess into the Otherworld after her soul has been shattered has always lead to death for both. Aphrodite comments to Stark that they may have been too old to handle it. Stark requests permission to take Zoey so he can figure out the best way to protect her. The Council is hesitant until Damien reminds them their laws put her car in her warrior’s hands until she is dead. They agree and Stark carries her out. Once everyone is gathered in Zoey’s room, Aphrodite fills them in on what she knows. Thanatos arrives to help. She explains that Stark should not kill himself to go after Zoey because she wouldn’t be able to take her warrior dying after her consort. She explains he will have to become a Shaman to walk in the Otherworld. They all agree to tell Thanatos what they know.

Thanatos realizes the entire story has always been a struggle between Lightness and Darkness. She explains the Council has become too civilized over the years and have tried to hard to overbear the barbaric. Part of their ancient culture was symbolized by two bulls (Light and Dark) fighting. Stark realizes he needs to go to the Isle where warriors used to train because it hasn’t been touch by civilization. The reigning Sgiach retreated to the Isle of Women when the training of the Sons of Erebus were spread throughout the House of Night locations. Stark plans to take Zoey there so he can learn how to get to the Otherworld without dying. However access is limited and he will have to get Sgiach’s permission. Damien asks about being able to do some research on the Sgiach and ancient ways. Thanatos says she will ask Duantia to give them permission to study the archives. Zoey is with Heath, but feels out of sorts. She starts to pace and sees her skin ripple. Heath tries to reassure her everything will be fine, but she can tell he is still on high alert. The shadows start approaching with a ripe smell and Heath takes Zoey further into Nyx’s grove even though Zoey can’t feel her goddess in it.

Aphrodite calls Stevie Rae to give her an update. They agree that they will continue looking for information that will help Stark get to the Otherworld without dying so he can help Zoey. Stevie Rae decides she will commune with the Earth on her way to check on Rephaim. As she is about to leave her room, Kramisha shows up with a new poem that is obviously about Stevie Rae. It warns her about her heart and being involved with beasts. She has Kramisha walk with her to the garage and tells her there is another guy, but she doesn’t think it is like that. Kramisha promises not to tell Dallas about it. As Stevie Rae is about to leave in Zoey’s car, Dallas comes up to see if he can go with her. When Stevie Rae says no, he gets upset because he knows he cannot be her warrior. She changes her mind and tells him he can come along knowing she will have to find another excuse to leave later. She wonders how Zoey handled it all and realizes that she couldn’t; her soul was shattered.

Once they reach the park, Stevie Rae casts her circle, ending with Earth. She lights the sweet grass and asks Earth for answers. When the answers do not come, she decides to summon the white bull (which Aphrodite forgot to mention is Darkness rather than Light). The sweet grass catches fire and she is surrounded by smoke. Dallas tries to get to her to get her out of the circle, but he can’t get in. The white bull appears and says he will answer her questions. Stark must look to his blood to enter the Isle of Women and defeat himself to enter the arena. She doesn’t understand, but the bull is not concerned about it. He takes his blood price from her and she screams out Rephaim’s name.

Rephaim feels Stevie Rae’s pain. He commands his power to lead him to her. When he gets to the circle, Dallas is trying to stab through the wall Darkness has put up. Rephaim goes to the north end of the circle and has his power protect him to get inside. Stevie Rae is covered in tentacle-like darkness that slices her skin at each touch. Rephaim offers to take her punishment himself. The bull agrees and starts taking blood from the Raven Mocker. While Stevie Rae is ignored by the bull, she calls the black one. She agrees to pay any price and there is an explosion of light. The black bull tells Rephaim not to make Stevie Rae regret her decision to save him. Dallas goes to attack Rephaim, but Stevie Rae has the Earth trip him. She tells the Raven Mocker to leave and she will meet him later. He only goes after she promises she is okay.

Dallas gets Stevie Rae back to the House of Night. She insists being taken to her own room, but they run into Lenobia and Kramisha on the way. Lenobia has her taken to the infirmary where the nurse, Sapphire, gives her baggies of blood. Dallas tries to tell them Stevie Rae was attacked by a Raven Mocker and won’t listen to Stevie Rae’s protests. Eventually she lashes out and says he couldn’t see what happened because he couldn’t get inside the circle. Sapphire has Dallas leave so she can cut off Stevie Rae’s jeans to get to her wounds. Stevie Rae tells them she summoned the white bull not knowing it was Darkness. The Raven Mocker distracted the bull long enough for her to call on the black bull. Sapphire starts sanitizing her wounds, but they are healing very quickly. Everyone there thinks her blood smells odd, but Stevie Rae blames it on the bull. She borrows Kramisha’s phone to relay everything to Aphrodite. Stevie Rae also tells her that the answer the bull gave her and passes that along. Stevie Rae is ready to get some rest, but Kramisha recites her a poem about penetrating the disguise of the beast. Stevie Rae admits she needs to pay more attention to Kramisha’s prophetic poems. She falls asleep thinking about Rephaim.

Stark wakes up to Zoey’s cold body and Aphrodite hurrying him to get to the library with the others to help get the high priestess back. Stark gets frustrated with Zoey’s friends for joking and laughing while she is in trouble. Thanatos and Darius return with food for every one and remind him he needs to focus on life in order to survive. Damien starts explaining they have split everything into Light and Darkness. He goes on to tell them The Guardians of the Ace, a group of warriors sworn to Sgiach. They discover the Guardians were made up from the Clan MacUallis, which is Stark’s grandfather’s last name.

Aya appears to Zoey and Zoey blames her for everything that has gone wrong with Kalona. After Aya (Zoey’s compassion) disappears, Zoey sees her kids self that represents her joy. Zoey doesn’t feel like she deserves to ever be happy again and the child disappears. Brighid (Zoey’s strength) warns her that she will get more and more incomplete with time if she doesn’t pull the pieces together. Zoey says she can’t return to a world without Heath. Brighid leaves her. Heath comes to tell Zoey they have to move again. He takes her hand and pulls her along promising he won’t let Kalona get her. Erik, Dragon, and Lenobia try to keep Stevie Rae from going out again. She tells them she is not going to let the threat of one Raven Mocker keep her penned up inside the House of Night. Lenobia thinks she has a point and thinks they should focus on getting the school back on a regular schedule and including the red fledglings. Kramisha insists on going with Stevie Rae. Dallas pulls Stevie Rae aside to tell her it is okay if they break up. She tells him she doesn’t want to and he is relieved.

As Stevie Rae drives Kramisha reads her the poem she wrote before everyone left for Venice. Parts of it have already come true. They agree it is important that Zoey hears it. Kramisha texts the poem to Aphrodite to have Stark memorize it. Stevie Rae tells Grandma Redbird what has happened to Zoey. The old woman says they must burn cedar needles around Stark when he goes and to have him breath it in and take it with him to the Otherworld. Sister Mary Angela sees Stevie Rae and says she will have all of the sisters pray. Kramisha refuses to lie for Stevie Rae, so Stevie Rae tells her she is going to see the “other guy” and doesn’t want to hurt Dallas. Kramisha knows Stevie Rae needs to figure the situation out and agrees to let her go alone. She plans to tell the vampires she is with a human.

Rephaim is glad to see Stevie Rae when she comes to see him. She wants to get him outside so she can attempt to use Earth to heal him. He protests at first, but eventual agrees. She tells him that Dallas has complicated things because the other vampires are nervous knowing there is a Raven Mocker still in town. Rephaim suggests he heads West, but Stevie Rae admits it would be hard for her if he were so far away. Stevie Rae calls on the Earth and has the healing power flow through her and transfers it to Rephaim through their hands. She asks Rephaim to return the power to the Earth once he feels better. He is confused why he wouldn’t keep it, but knows it isn’t right. He does what she asks and is healed. Stevie Rae realizes Rephaim was healed when he got to her to save her from Darkness. He admits he called on his father’s power to heal him and didn’t care it was Darkness that healed him because he needed to get to Stevie Rae. Stevie Rae starts to hurry off, but Rephaim grabs her wrist and asks if she will return. She says she promised she would, but he doesn’t want her to feel forced to come back. She says it wasn’t a promise to him she made and then leaves. He is very frustrated with how she makes him feel and starts flying east.

A helicopter takes Stark, Darius, Aphrodite, and Zoey’s body to Scotland and only touches down long enough for them to get out before it takes off again. Darius and Aphrodite feel like they should be running away, but Stark only feels determined to restore Zoey. When they get to gate, he demands to see Sgiach. When he tells the guard, Seoras, his human name was MacUallis, he tells him to wait there. When he returns, he has the Sgiach with him. They here his case and grant him access. Darius requests access for himself, but Sgiach and Seoras are skeptical because she is a human. She explains she was a fledgling, but became human. Nyx still sends her visions and so she is an Ace and her warrior could benefit from the training. They are granted access as well.

Sgiach disappears and Seoras drives them in a vehicle to the castle. When they arrive, the warriors (male and female) pour out of the castle to show their respect. Stark has trouble letting go of Zoey, but something about Seoras’ gold chieftain’s torque on his wrist makes him trust the other warrior. He hands Zoey over and she is placed on a litter to be carried inside. The guard at the front gives up her spot to Stark. Inside, Seoras leads them into the throne room. Stark explains his purpose for coming to the island and seeking their help. Aphrodite explains that the ancient bulls were manifested the previous night in Tulsa. Sgiach explains to enter the Otherworld, Stark must also become a Shaman. Seoras is the only warrior they know of that is both. He tells him the warrior inside must die to give birth to the Shaman.

Stevie Rae returns to the House of Night and Lenobia is waiting for her. A few of the red fledglings killed four humans by ripping out their throats. Lenobia has not informed the high council because Stevie Rae is their high priestess. Stevie Rae decides she needs to get all the red fledglings together and confront Nicole’s group. If they don’t agree to shape up, she is going to collapse the tunnels and take away the depot from them. As Stevie Rae is on her way to the dorms alone, she can’t help thinking about her relationship with Rephaim. Her promise to the black bull was that she would forever be tied to Rephaim’s humanity. When all the red fledglings are gathered in the garage, Stevie Rae tells them what happened. They all agree to go with her and take back the tunnels for themselves. Kramisha suggests they draw out the bad kids using Stevie Rae as bait. Stevie Rae uses her affinity with Earth to fake her presence in her old room. Stevie Rae, Dallas, and Kramisha get in Zoey’s Bug while Johnny B. Drives the remaining fledglings. As they drive, Stevie Rae realizes the bad kids know about Rephaim. She tells herself her group will believe her over them. When they get into the tunnels, Dallas hears a buzzing sound. He goes to the wall by the wires he ran through the tunnels and can tell the other fledglings are in the kitchen.

The red vampires walk through the tunnels and are not happy about the shape of their home. They get to the kitchen and the bad kids are not willing to leave. Kramisha points out that they are dying without having an adult red vampire around them. Nicole tells them about Rephaim and Stevie Rae calls her a liar. Nicole and two others in her group point guns at them. Stevie Rae and Dallas use their affinities to protect their group. Bullets ricochet and some of the bad kids are killed. Stevie Rae uses Earth to create a tunnel to take Nicole’s group far away from them. They carry the bodies outside in sleeping bags and Stevie Rae uses Earth to bury them. Stevie Rae goes back into the cave to clean up the blood. She starts crying. Dallas joins her and holds her until he is done. He says he has already sent everyone back. They start making out and getting undressed. Dallas wants her to bite him, but she knows that will break her bond with Rephaim. She doesn’t know if that will break her promise to the black bull. Rephaim shouts for her not to do it.

Rephaim can feel Stevie Rae’s anger as she battles the red fledglings. He feels like she is rejecting him when all he wants is love. He didn’t have real emotions before he knew her. When he feels her sadness, he turns around and calls on Aya to find her. When he reaches her, he finds Dallas on top of her and shouts. Dallas immediately gets up to protect Stevie Rae. When Stevie Rae and the Raven Mocker start arguing, Dallas realizes they know each other. He is upset about Stevie Rae lying to him. He calls her a whore and goes to hit her, but Rephaim gets in his way. Dallas uses electricity to take him down, but Stevie Rae heals the Raven Mocker again. She tries to explain to Dallas but he won’t hear it. He ends up transforming into an adult vampire. Stevie Rae uses Earth to block her and Rephaim off from Dallas, but still leaving him a way out. They rush to get out of there and Rephaim flies away with Stevie Rae. He asks what she will do about her friends. She plans to tell everyone that Dallas is being crazy. Even though staying away will give Dallas credibility, Stevie Rae still plans to stay with Rephaim, her consort. Rephaim gets Stevie Rae to the basement of the museum and brings all of this supplies down to join her. He is determined to protect her if anyone finds her. He falls asleep next to her completely smitten.

Seoras prepares the Seol ne Gigh for Stark’s sacrifice. He tells him he is the sacrifice and he will need to stay on the blood stained alter. When it is time, he will need to let go. Stark lays on the alter and is in pain when Seoras slashes his ribs up each side. He fights to stay conscious until Seoras tells him to let go. He makes it to the Otherworld, but it is dark. He pictures grabbing the horns of the bull and it appears. The charge each other and Stark is thrown over the black bull’s head. He lands and it congratulates him. Stark finds a sword in the blood stained ground and cleans it. He goes to find Zoey, but is blocked by an invisible barrier. A copy of Stark is there and is clearly touched by Darkness. He is determined not to let Stark through and charges him with his own sword.

Aphrodite is concerned with how much Seoras is cutting Stark. Sgiach explains he has to maintain a balance to keep him alive but in the otherworld. She suggests Aphrodite user her own powers to see how she can help Stark. Aphrodite and Darius are lead to a private room. Aphrodite immediately gets to work asking Nyx for help. Nyx takes her to the Otherworld and shows her a version of the future where Zoey does manage to get herself back together, but she decides to stay with Heath. Aphrodite is okay with letting her friend go if it means she is happy, but Nyx takes her to the outcome of that possible future on Earth. Kalona welcomes in Darkness and Neferet drinks from him. Stevie Rae is with a Raven Mocker. The world is tipped to far towards Darkness. Aphrodite comes back to herself and has Darius help her to Stark. She tells the queen she needs to speak to stark. Sgiach warns her she will only have a moment to get her message to him. She understands and they start the process.

Stark is fighting his Other when he is pulled back to reality. Aphrodite quickly tells him he has to get to Heath first and have him move on so Zoey can come back. He is shoved back into the Otherworld and is still fighting his Other. He realizes the Other is part of him, even if it is the bad part. He drops his guard to draw the Other in and it attacks. Stark uses the opportunity to take his shot. He is able to bring the Other down. Seoras is there and reminds him that Honor is what is most important to a Guardian. Stark grabs his sword and kills the Other. He sets off to find Zoey. He knows she would be content to stay there with the boy she has loved most of her life. He tries to sense her, but can’t. He sees the wishing tree and it has a gold ribbon in it. He remembers that for a Warrior, honor trumps love. The ribbon comes untied and he follows its path.

Heath is stressed out because Zoey seems to be falling apart more and more as time goes on. Darkness appears to him and tells him to use his bond to have her pull herself together. Heath starts heading towards Zoey to tell her he will stay there with her when he hears Stark calling him. Stark tells him what is going on and why Heath needs to move on. Heath realizes Zoey would be miserable if she knew her friends would be in trouble because she stayed. Heath decides he will have to go. Stark promises he will get Zoey back to her body and always protect her. Heath goes to Zoey and tells her he has to go so he can have another shot at life. He promises he will find her again someday. He leaves and she starts pacing.

Kalona has been stalking Zoey and Heath. He realizes if Zoey agrees to stay in the Otherworld with Heath, he will be fulfilling his promise to Neferet and able to return to his body. Stark approaches Zoey and tells her what he knows. He recites the poem to her, but she points out it is for him and not her. Suddenly, he knows what he has to do. Kalona owes Zoey a life debt for killing Heath. He intends to get her to make Kalona pay that debt. He pulls Zoey to the edge of the protective grove. He leaves its protection and calls out to challenge Kalona. Kalona creates an arena in the ground and attacks, but Stark is able to summon the Guardian claymore and fend off the immortal.

Zoey can’t take the thought of Kalona killing Stark in the newly formed in-ground arena. She calls the pieces of herself back to her and she becomes whole again. She goes to the edge and calls out to Kalona. Stark is loosing, but smiles up at his newly whole queen. She intends to collect the debt Kalona owes her. When she smiles at Stark, Kalona uses her distraction to drive his spear through Stark’s chest and kill him. Zoey uses air to keep Kalona grounded and then takes Starks sword and puts it through Kalona’s chest. She demands he bring Stark back to life by giving him a piece of his immortality. Kalona refuses. Nyx appears and demands the same thing of Kalona. Zoey can see he still loves the goddess. Kalona agrees and Nyx banishes his spirit from her realm. He asks why she will not take him back and she tells him he has to be worthy of her forgiveness. After she leaves, Kalona brings Stark back to life and is carried out of the realm by Darkness. Zoey and Stark end up in the grove.

Stark fills Zoey in on what she has missed. She will be able to follow Spirit back to her body, but Stark doesn’t know how to get back since Seoras is the one keeping him there. Zoey sees how weak Stark is and tells him to feed off of her. He starts to and then asks her to let him be her Guardian, which is an even bigger connection than being her Warrior. She accepts and he continues to drink her blood. As he does, the elements wash over them and Zoey gets her tattoos back. When Stark is healed enough, she tells him to trust her to get him back. He does.

Stevie Rae wakes up to several missed calls. Lenobia left a message checking in on her since Dallas did not return to the House of Night. Aphrodite left an update about Zoey and Stark. Stevie Rae and Rephaim start wandering around the Museum. Stevie Rae feels Nyx wash over her. When she looks at their reflection in a fountain pool, Rephaim is a Native American boy. He can sense when Kalona returns to his body. Stevie Rae feels when Zoey returns to hers. Rephaim thinks that means they can’t be together. Stevie Rae says she will wait for him to decide they can be even though it will upset people. She says she will miss him and he tells her the same. Zoey and Stark stand by the hanging tree in the Otherworld. She picks out a the gold ribbon Stark used to get to her. She ties it around his wrist and jumps into darkness to return. She sees Stark and leaps to save him from the Guardian that is cutting him. Sgiach tells her that Seoras is helping Stark. Zoey knows how to bring him back. She asks Seoras to stop cutting and thanks him for helping Stark get to her. She uses water to wash away the blood and sees the slashes form arrows. She still has the gold ribbon in her hand and she ties it around Stark’s wrist. It becomes a gold bracelet with three arrows, one broken. Stark returns to his body when Zoey kisses him. Nyx tells her it is just the beginning.

The Baudelaire children like to go to the beach on cloudy days when it isn’t crowded. Violet (14) is skipping rocks and thinking about inventing a machine to retrieve them for her. Klaus (12) loves to read books and examines the creatures in the tide pools. Sunny is just a baby and likes to bite things. A figure starts to approach them in the distance. As it gets closer, they realize it is Mr. Poe, a friend of their parents. He comes to tell them their parents have died in a fire that also destroyed their house, the Baudelaire Mansion. As executor of their estate, he is going to take them home with him while they figure out where they belong.

After a few days of staying with the Poe family, the Baudelaire orphans are still feeling horrible about the death of their parents. The house smells and they are all crammed into a bedroom with the Poe children, Edgar and Albert. Mr. Poe tells them they will be staying with a distantly related, Count Olaf, because he is their only relative in the city. They pack and then leave the next morning. When they pull up to the house, they meet Justice Strauss and see her beautiful house. The children are disappointed when they learn she is Count Olaf’s neighbor. They are even more disappointed when they see Count Olaf’s house and go inside. Count Olaf thanks Mr. Poe for dropping them off. Mr. Poe tells the children they can contact him at the bank if they have any questions and leaves them there.

Count Olaf provides the children with one dingy room and one dingy bed. Violet and Klaus takes turns using the bed. They have created a sort of nest out of the curtains for Sunny. Each morning, he leaves them poridge and a list of choirs. One day he tells them to buy ingredients and make dinner for his theater troupe of 10 for that night. As they are searching the kitchen for a cookbook, there is a knock at the door. Justice Strauss is there to see if they need anything. They ask if she has a cookbook they can borrow and she leads them into her library. The children are impressed with the collection and Justice Strauss agrees to let them borrow her books. They find a simple reciepe for puttanesca sauce and write it down.

Justice Strauss escorts them to and from the market to get what they need. They make plans with her to visit her library the next day before going inside to make the sauce. Everything is ready as Count Olaf comes bursting into the house. He is furious they haven’t made roast beef. The children try to point out that he never mentioned what he wanted for dinner, but he picks up Sunny and holds her very high up with one hand. When the troupe comes to join them in the kitchen, they all seem disgusted by the children. One tells Violet that Count Olaf might mess up her pretty face if she makes him mad. Violet and Klaus serve the noodles and sauce before retreating to the kitchen. They are too upset to eat anything themselves. When the group starts banging on the table to have their plates cleared, Violet and Klaus do that and then serve the chocolate pudding they prepared. As the troupe marches back through the kitchen to leave, Count Olaf tells them they are to clean up and go straight to their beds. Klaus corrects them saying they only have one bed. Their guardian replies they can go to town and buy another one. Klaus reminds him they don’t have any money until Violet comes of age. Count Olaf smacks him across the face before he leaves. One in the group is certain Count Olaf will get their money soon. The children clean up, go to their room, and cry all night long.

The next morning, the children are left a note telling them to chop wood. They go out back and Violet and Klaus use axes on the pile of wood. As they chop, they discuss their options. They both agree it would be nice if Justice Strauss would adopt them, but that it is not likely. Mr. Poe told them to come see him if they have any questions, so they decide that is their best corse of action. They find the financial distract and visit several banks before they find the one Mr. Poe works at. They are taken to his office that is flooded with paperwork and flashing phones. They try to tell him about their awful situation, but he has several distractions and doesn’t seem to hear what they say. He tells them Count Olaf is loco parentis and has the right to raise them however he sees fit. The children leave feeling defeated. They decide to return to their new home and come up with a new plan.

The next morning, Count Olaf greets them in the kitchen with oatmeal that has raspberries in it. They are suspicious of it until he eats one of the berries. He apologizes for being “standoffish” due to the pressures of his theater troupe. He tells them he will be including them in his next one-time performance. Klaus and Sunny will be the audience to the wedding of Count Olaf and Violet’s characters. Justice Strauss will be playing the judge that will marry them. The children are very suspicious of this and Violet tries to get out of it by offering to work on the set. Count Olaf insists she play the bride. As they sit trying to figure out the Count’s plot, Sunny says “book.” Violet and Klaus decide they will visit Justice Strauss’ library again and this time they will read books about inheritance law.

Justice Strauss finds the children reading law books in her library. She offers to take Sunny out to the garden with her while the other two read. Eventually, Violet is burned out and goes to join the judge and her sister. Klaus continues to read until the man with hooks for hands from Count Olaf’s theater troupe come to collect them. When he goes outside to fetch Violet and Sunny, Klaus shoves a book under his shirt to take home with him.

Klaus stays up all night reading the book that borrowed from Justice Strauss. He learned that all that is needed for a marriage to be legal in their community is a statement of “I do,” and a judge present to witness the parties sign a piece of paper. Klaus goes down to the kitchen early to confront Count Olaf about his plan to marry Violet and take hold of her inheritance. He threatens to take the information to Mr. Poe and have Olaf arrested, but the count doesn’t seem worried. He tells Klaus to go tell his sisters what he has learned. Klaus explains everything to Violet. When they go to get Sunny out of the pile of curtains that make her bed, they find that she is missing. Violet and Klaus are worried. Count Olaf is in the doorway and seems to know something about the situation.

Count Olaf suggests the children go outside. When they do, they see Sunny is being kept in a birdcage hanging in the window of the 30 story tower. She has tape over her mouth and is tied up. Count Olaf promises to release Sunny if Violet agrees to marry him. She does and can only trust Count Olaf will release Sunny after the marriage is complete. The count orders them to do their chores and Violet uses this time to think about how to save her sister.

That night while Klaus is sleeping, Violet breaks and shapes the curtain rod with rocks and tears up some clothes to make a grappling hook. She sneaks out side and tries throws it against the tower hoping to catch something. On the fourth attempt, the hook is steady and she starts climbing. She remembers when her parents brought home her siblings and told her she is always responsible for making sure they are safe. She is happy to see Sunny when she gets to the top of the tower and the cage. Whens he looks to see what the hook latched onto, she finds the hook of the man from Count Olaf’s theater troupe.

The hook-handed man pulls Violet into the tower and uses his walkie-talkie to let Count Olaf know what has happened. As ordered by the count, the man locks Violet in the tower and goes to get Klaus to join her. They spend all day locked in the tower trying to think of how to get out of their predicament while trying to reassure Sunny (still in the cage) that everything will be alright. It isn’t until Count Olaf comes to get them that Violet comes up with an idea. She stares are her right hand as it grips the railing and thinks the entire way to the theater.

Violet and Klaus are kept backstage during the first two acts of the play. While they are both fascinated with the intricacies of the theater, they are also both terrified of what is about to happen. When Justice Strauss arrives, they try to convince her to change the words of the ceremony for the play, but she doesn’t want to mess it up her acting debut. During intermission, Mr. Poe comes by to wish them luck on their performance. Olaf comes to demand two white faced women to get the children into costume. Violet is put into a dirty white bridal gown and Klaus into a sailor suit. The wedding takes place. Olaf and Violet say, “I do,” and she signs the document with her left hand.

Count Olaf stops the play to announce the marriage was real. No one seems to be able to dispute it. He tells his associate to bring Sunny to the theater. Justice Strauss is in tears and Mr. Poe is furious. Violet points out the law states she must sign the document in her own hand, but she signed it with her left. Justice Strauss determines this means that the wedding was not legal. Count Olaf tries to keep Sunny in his possession, but she has already arrived and is soon reunited with her siblings. Mr. Poe grabs the count to have him arrested for hanging Sunny out of a window. The lights go out and when Violet is able to get to the switch to turn them back on, Olaf and his associates are gone. Justice Strauss offers to adopt the children, but Mr. Poe insists they be with family as defined in their parents will. The children get into Mr. Poe’s car and wave goodbye to the happy life they could have had with Justice Strauss.

LA 2012 - Kit is a five year old human with the sight he inherited from his father, Johnny Rook. Johnny has a booth at the Shadow Market where he sells secrets. Kit loves to go with him (though when clients come to the house, Kit has to hide in the basement). While walking to get change, Kit stops to flirt with Gwen, a girl selling charmed jewelry. She is worried about the murders that have been occurring throughout the city. When two Shadowhunters arrive, everyone goes quiet. Gwen packs up her things and leaves (Kit notices a symbol on her hand that looks like KKE Fire and Water). The Shadowhunters head to Johnny’s booth and Kit sneaks over to listen. Emma Carstairs is looking for information about her parents murder. Johnny gives her back a scrap of fabric that couldn’t give him any information. Johnny and Emma start talking about recent murders. She is not entered at first because they can’t investigate mundanes murdering each other. Johnny points out some of the bodies are rumored to be fae. Emma points out Nephilim cannot investigate those because of the Cold Peace (no help to far from Shadowhunters or Downworlders because of their involvement with Sebastian. Emma takes in interest in Kit because he is young and has the sight (criteria to become a Shadowhunter). Johnny tells her there was writing on the bodies. Emma’s boyfriend, Cameron Ashdown, thinks the clave will be interested in the information. Johnny tells them when and where the next body is likely to turn up. Emma winks at Kit before the Shadowhunters leave. Johnny is concerned with the attention she showed his son because the Clave has been trying to rebuild its numbers by recruiting anyone under 17 that has the sight. Johnny is determined to keep Kit his secret.

Emma is on the roof of the Sepulchre Bar when she breaks up with Cameron over the phone because he annoys her. Cristina is with her and disapproves of her methods. Emma points out her tutor, Diana, will be pleased for the lack of distraction. Cristina starts talking about her family at the Mexico City Institute. She says Jaime hates studying, but Diego looks for extra school work. Emma is interested to hear about them because Cristina hasn’t talked about much in her two months in LA. Suddenly they see a glamoured fairy walking among the people and stealing from them. Emma empties the contents of a bag over the fairy’s head and his true form is revealed. The humans start to run away. Emma jumps down to question him and Cristina follows. When Emma mentions her name, the fairy recognizes it and reminds her Mark Blackthorn is among his people because the Shadowhunters banished him for being part fae. He uses her shock to throw a necklace at her and starts running. Emma and Cristina follow, but end up stopping when they find the body of a dead human. Emma regrets calling the Silent Brothers right away because she isn’t able to study the markings on the body. When Diana arrives, she pulls Emma aside to ask if she is sure they are like the ones on her parents’ bodies. Emma knows Sebastian isn’t the one responsible for their murders. Diana promises to tell Emma everything she learns. Emma and Cristina get in the car to head back to the Institute. Cristina shows Emma the pictures of the writing she was able to get. Emma decides to show her something she has only ever shown Julian.

Back at the Institute, Emma shows Cristina the closet in her bedroom where she keeps every piece of information she has been able to find on her parents’ murder. She admits she stole the pictures of the bodies with the demon language written on them from Council Penhallow. Next, she takes Cristina to the other wing of the Institute to show off the Blackthorns’ rooms as a way of introduction. She starts with the youngest, Octavian (Tavvy) and his nightmares. She then goes to Drusilla’s (Dru) room which is littered with horror movie paraphernalia. Next are the twins’ neat room. Livy’s is very girly and has books about computer programing languages. Tiberius (Ty) likes to use computers for analysis, but animals are his true passion. Julian’s room has a sea-side castle mural painted on the wall featuring sleeping beauty. Cristina comments that Julian appears to be a sad person. Lastly, Emma shows her Mark’s room. He was taken during the Dark War and made part of the Wild Hunt (vicious group of fat that ride through the sky once a month and prey on humans). Cristina admits he is part of the reason she is in LA. She hopes to some day make the Cold Peace more fair to Downworlders. Emma stores away all her thoughts and goes with Cristina for mindless movies to distract them until Diana returns with more information. They stay up all night and Emma ends up sleeping in. She goes for a run on the beach and returns to the Institute to find Johnny Rook leaving. She is furious he told Diana about Emma going to see him. Diana takes Emma to her office to talk alone. First she scolds Emma for going to the Shadow Market and trusting Johnny Rook. Next she tells her what she learned. The recent murders are being handled by the Scholomance (elite Shadowhunters training in the Carpathians; closed when Accords first signed as show of good faith to Downworlders; recently reopened because of fae). Diana warns Emma to stay out of it. She reminds her student that Julian writes to the Council every year for his sister’s, Helen, release from Wrangle Island (even marriage to the Consol’s daughter Aline Penhallow hand’t helped her get her freedom). Cristina comes in to tell them the Blackthorns have returned home. Emma runs to greet them. She tells Julian she needs to talk to him about something important if he isn’t too tired. He agrees, but Emma feels that something is different about him. She tells herself he will be back to normal in a few days.

Julian takes a tray of food to the attic where Uncle Arthur (head of the LA Institute) pours over books about ancient Greeks. He mistakes Julian for Andrew (Julian’s father) and asks him about what type of love it is between parabatai. Julian leaves him among his books. Emma wakes up from a nightmare about her parents trapped in a giant ocean wave. She wonders why Julian never showed up and goes to his room to find him asleep. She asks if she can stay with him and like many times in the past they sleep next to each other to keep the nightmares away. Emma wakes up to find Julian gone. She gets dressed and goes down to the beach to find him. He asks what she wanted to talk about and she tells him everything. She adds that she own’t look into it if he thinks it will hurt his chances of bringing Mark or Helen home. Julian points out his attempts for the last five years have been useless. Jace and Clary (run the NYC Institute) were able to help their friends and change the way the Clave thinks because they are heroes. Julian thinks if they are able to find and stop the serial killings, they too will be able to inflict change. They start heading back to the Institute where Tavvy and Dru are waiting to tell Julian he owes them pancakes. Cristina is dreaming about Jamie and Diego (oldest friend and first love respectively) back home when Emma shakes her awake to go meet the Blackthorns. The girls go to the kitchen and introductions are made. Emma tells everyone about the 12 murders of humans and fae. She warns them that any investigation on their part has to be kept secret from Diana. They all agree (including Cristina) and go their separate ways to investigate and prepare for Clave testing (anyone not up to par has to go to the Academy in Idris). Julian and Emma are left alone in the kitchen with Tavvy as Cristina leaves. She always thought she’d have a parabatai and so it is painful to see the closeness between Julian and Emma.

Emma and Cristina train for hours. Emma climbs a ladder to jump down from the ceiling, but Cristina is able to get Cortana from the scabbard on Emma’s back as she gets up. They start throwing knives and Emma makes a comment about Perfect Diego when Livvy shows up. She complains about how there weren’t any cute boys at their great aunt Marjorie’s in England. Emma explains Cristina’s annoyance with Diego. As she goes to throw knives, Livvy and Emma discuss Diego breaking Cristina’s heart somehow. Livvy wants to set her up with Julian. Livvy leaves without completing much training. Cristina asks Emma if she is okay because she seems in shock. Someone pounding on the front door gives Emma a reason not to answer. She grabs Cortana and rushes out. Julian opens the door to find Malcolm Fade, high warlock of LA, on the other side. He invites the warlock in, but Malcolm trips due to his shoe laces being tied together. Emma is there to cut him free. Malcolm gives Julian the medication for Arthur, which Emma doesn’t know about, and quickly changes the subject. Emma shows him the pictures of the body and asks about the chalk symbols near it. Malcolm thinks it is a protection circle for whoever cast the spell to murder the person. Livvy comes to retrieve them because they found something. Emma invites Malcolm to join them before following Livvy. Once they are left alone, Malcolm points out that love trumps laws. Everyone meets up in the computer room. Ty tells them there has been one murder a month over the past year. All have the writing and were burned and soaked in salt water. The info was found through the mundane news though, so no indication of how many were fae. They mapped out where the bodies were found and each was on a Ley line. The doorbell rings and Emma goes to answer it. On the way, she thinks about Clary and Simon becoming parabatai. She pays for the pizza Malcolm ordered (from a vampire named Nightshade) and brings it to where everyone else is. Julian gets everyone settled for dinner. After watching Notting Hill, Malcolm gushes over how he came to LA to bring love back. Julian insists that movie love isn’t real and launches into a speech about what he thinks love is. He cuts himself off before he reveals his feelings for Emma. Everyone goes to bed. Emma is woken up in the middle of the night by Jem’s cat, Church (used to bring presents from Jem; shells on Emma’s window sill and sea glass that makes Julian’s bracelet). She follows the cat out to the beach and finds Julian. She asks him what is wrong. He tells her he has been thinking about his brother, Mark. He wonders if he keeps the hunt away from them because he loves or hates them. He admits he hates Mark for leaving him to raise his siblings alone. He thinks of how different it would be if Mark could have stayed. Julian admits that he might not have wanted a parabatai. He takes off before he says too much. Emma is hurt and sits with Church.

Back in 2007 during the Dark War, Julian protected his younger siblings in the Hall of Accords in Idris. He wanted to be fighting beside Emma, but knew his brothers and sisters couldn’t defend themselves. Their father, Andrew Blackthorn, had his soul taken. Andrew called out to Ty who started to go to him. Julian threw his short sword at his father and killed him. He knew he committed the worst sin and would be cursed.

Diana is in the middle of a history lesson about the Scholomance, the Academy, and the Cold Peace when Cristina sits a fae delegation approaching the Sanctuary portion of the Institute. Julian runs to the attic to get Arthur. He recognizes the signs that his uncle is having a bad day (mind broken while held captive in Faerie with Andrew) and gives him the medicine from Malcolm knowing the side effects will be awful later. Emma arrives in the Sanctuary first to greet the fae, Iarlath of the Unseelie court and Kieran of the Hunt. Iarlath is the fae she saw at Sepulchre. Arthur and Julian join them and get down to business. The fae want a deal: the LA Institute Shadowhunters will use what they have translated of the marking son the bodies to translate the rest of the spell. They will use it to find the murderers and bring them to the fae for judgement. Arthur doesn’t see the benefit to them for breaking Clave law to help them. The third fae comes in and drops his hood. It is Mark Blackthorn. They swear he will be free to choose whether to stay at the Institute or return to the Hunt afterwards. In the meantime he will remain with the Nephilim to assist in the investigation. Julian speaks in whispers to Arthur before the head of the Institute agrees to the deal. Julian makes the fae speak a few oaths to keep them from using loopholes. They all agree not to involve anyone outside the Institute and all communication will be done discretely through the Sanctuary. Diana comes in to seal the deal and escort Iarlath and Kieran out. Mark (and his horse) are left behind. Julian goes to talk to his brother. Mark mistakes him for their father and feints.

Julian carries Mark to his old room and puts him on the bed. Their siblings start showing up and so does Cristina. Dru points out a wound on Mark’s shoulder. Julian asks for a stele and Emma tosses him hers. When he puts it to Mark’s skin, the half fae wakes up and thrashes to get away from it. He looks at them all and doesn’t recognize his younger siblings. Cristina herds everyone out into the hall to give him time to adjust. She reminds them her field of study is the effects of the Cold Peace. Diana joins them and reminds everyone they will have to work quickly and quietly to avoid the Clave finding out. Livvy and Ty go to get Mark’s things from storage. Cristina will stay to look over Mark. Emma and Julian are going to take the papers from the fairies to Malcolm Fade and give him as little information as possible to keep him out of trouble. Diana is cryptic about where she is going, but tells them to trust her. Emma drives down the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) until they get to Malcolm’s castle. They climb the hidden crystal staircase and go inside. Malcolm is talking with two movie producers who want to ensure the success of their film. He freezes them in case the Shadowhunters are having some sort of emergency. When he unfreezes them, he sends them out saying he will be in touch. They give him a copy of the papers from the fae. When Magnus Bane enters the room, Malcolm goes to look them over somewhere else. Julian asks what the warlock is doing in LA. Magnus explains the Council is looking into any necromancy magic. There was a nearby occurrence he was going to check out on his way to meet Alec in Buenos Aries with their adopted warlock son, Max, but Diana already took care of it. Emma asks about Ley lines. Magnus explains they are typically used for transferring magic. After Magnus leaves, Malcolm agrees to help them, but when they don’t answer, he realizes it involves fairies. He tells them it will take him a few days and warns them not to depend on him too much because everyone will let you down in the end.

Cristina sits in the hallway outside of Mark’s room. The door is cracked open and she can see him lying on the bed, but has no idea if he is asleep. Ty and Livvy return with a box of things they think their brother will like (though they were unable to get into storage to get his actual things). Ty goes to lay a quilt over him, but Mark springs up and holds him down. Livvy runs from the room while Cristina tries to defuse the situation. Livvy comes back with a seraph blade and threatens to kill Mark if he hurts Ty. Mark recognizes her with the weapon and lets Ty go. The twins leave, but Cristina stays. He is relieved he doesn’t know her because it means she really doesn’t have many expectations. He admits he has no idea how long he was gone and that the Wild Hunt still calls to him. Cristina fill him in. There is a tapping on the window and a message is delivered to Mark inside an acorn telling him to remember his promises and that none of this is real. On their way back to the Institute, Julian asks what Magnus whispered to Emma. She tells him the warlock told her Ley lines converge. They decide to look at a map of the lines in the library, and Julian is glad they will have a distraction from Mark. Cameron Ashdown calls Emma, but she ignores the call. Julian asks if she will tell him about what is going on. She promises she never would. Julian slams on the breaks on the side of the highway, he tells her he didn’t mean what he said and having her as his parabatai is the best thing that happened to him. He admits he asked her because he couldn’t stand the thought of loosing her to the Academy. Emma explains that he gave her everything - a family. Livvy sends a text to let them know Mark is awake and screaming. Julian races them home and they find all the kids sitting outside Mark’s door. They explain that Mark starts screaming if any of them enter. Julian explains their brother will need time to adjust. Emma takes them to the library to map out Ley lines. Julian goes into Mark’s room to find him pacing. Cristina sits on the floor holding the pendant of her necklace in one hand and the other on a knife at her hip. Julian’s presence upsets Mark. He rants about how he tried to remember his siblings, but the fae showed him their gruesome deaths and tried to get him to kill them. He doesn’t believe he has a family anymore. Julian offers proof in the last words Mark spoke to him. He reminds his brother that he told Julian to stay with Emma. Mark collapses into Julian’s arms finally believing it is his younger brother. Dru finds the map they are looking for in the trunk with the Blackthorn symbol carved into it. They start studying it and find the Ley lines converge in the ocean. Cristina comes in to tell Emma that Julian seems to have calmed Mark and gained his trust a bit. When Julian brings Mark in to see them, he is in much better spirits. He tells them the Ley lines on tier map are wrong and suggests Helen help them correct it. Julian explains Helen’s the situation. Mark comes to the conclusion that he and Helen aren’t wanted there and returns to his room. They all recognize that Mark will need time to deal and understand the whole situation.

Emma takes some soup (made by Cristina) to Julian’s studio for him and Tavvy. He admits he always thought if Mark returned it would be to help, not be another thing Julian had to deal with. Emma remembers when Mark and Helen were first taken away and how Julian was so anxious about being 12 and raising 4 kids. She is angry at the situation and then at Mark for adding to his burden. Emma bangs on Mark’s door for a while before using a knife to open it. She finds that Mark isn’t in the room. Dru comes by and tells her he is most likely on the roof. Emma goes out the window and onto the roof. Mark is there and she tells him he is upsetting Julian. Mark explains the Institute doesn’t feel like home anymore. He tells her about watching his siblings die as a form of torture. He agrees to show her where the Ley lines converge if they leave right then. Emma insists on taking Julian. Mark says he will only take her and points out the limited time they have to solve the mystery o the murders. He tells her to follow him as he starts scaling down eh wall and she does. Once they are on the ground, Emma goes to the car to get weapons out of the trunk, including Cortana. Mark takes her to his steed, which has talent he form of a motorcycle. She wants to drive it and he allows her. Mark climbs on the back. With a simple thought of wanting to fly, the bike takes off. Emma bids it to go faster until she realizes she is surrounded by ocean. She wills it back towards land, almost losing control of the steed in her fear. Mark approves of her wild spirit and points her in the direction of the convergence.

When they land, Mark and Emma find a cave and go inside. There is a circle drawn of words in different languages. Emma takes pictures with her phone. Before she can stop him, Mark walks into the circle and there is a shimmer. When he comes back out he hands Emma the wallet of the man she found a few nights previous. He tells her there were also clothes and broken teeth hidden by the glamour. They start to leave but are confronted by mantid demons outside the cave. Mark lights up a seraph blade while Emma uses Cortana to start making her way to the motorcycle. They each fight off several demons, but one crushes the bike, taking it over a cliff with it when Emma kills it. She makes her way back towards Mark, who has run out of weapons. He uses a silver chain as a weapon, but still gets a slash across the chest before Emma gets him another seraph blade. Cristina drives the car into the fray with Julian on the hood firing off bolts from his crossbow. There is a lull in demon activity and Julian wants to put an iratze on Mark, who refuses. They get in the car before more demons (protecting the convergence) show up. Julian has them stop at a seafood place that has an outdoor shower for surfers. Mark lets the water rush over him before going to join Cristina. Julian draws an iratze on Emma and tells her not to do that again. He is aware she could have died and explains what that would do to him. Emma tells him she feels like she is constantly being tested to be allowed to stay at the Institute. Julian opens up and says she has already proven herself to him. She wants to hold him, but instead mentions the others. Julian closes down and they go back to Mark and Cristina. Mark tells them the circle in the cave is for necromancy. The writing on the bodies might be a message, but not written for them. The people killed were chosen for specific reasons and dumped on Ley lines later. They decide they will need to set up monitoring. Systems on the cave during the daytime when the demons are inactive. Julian agains suggests an iratze on Mark. The older brother takeoff his shirt and shows him the runes the fairies carved into his back. He points out his actual protection rune did not help him. He vowed not to have anymore on his skin. Julian promises he won’t let the fae take Mark back.

Diana returns to the Institute in the morning to ell them the monitoring system is in place. The cave does not use demon protection during the day and instead the opening disappears. Cameron calls Emma again and this time she answers. He warns her that someone in the Shadow Market was threatening to kill her if she kept looking into what she talked to Johnny Rook about. Mark joins everyone in the kitchen and apologizes to his siblings for his behavior. After eating, he takes Tavvy so everyone else can do their Clave tests with Diana. Emma is distracted through the written and oral portions and makes a lot of mistakes. Mark and Cristina join them for the physical part. Diana makes a circle of ash and salt around a dummy and has each attack without disturbing the circle. Julian uses throwing discs to tear off the arms so he can question the suspect. Emma leaps from above, lands on the shoulders with Cortana stabbed through the head, and flips out of the circle. When it is Ty’s turn, Arthur appears and tells him he cannot use his headphones because battle isn’t always in idea situations. Ty uses his throwing knife to Destry the radio that blasts out the distractions and a piece of it cuts his hand. Mark steps right through the circle and tears the dummy apart with his bare hands saying that is how Fae fight. He joins Ty and shows him he hurt his own hand as well. Diana calls Julian to her office. She points out that Ty wants to go to the Scholomance. He reminds her the Clave hides the Shadowhunters who think and see differently. She points out it is his duty to make sure Ty understands that and how grueling the Scholomance can be. Julian is furious with Diana for not having taken over the Institute when it was offered to her and for keeping so many secrets. She points out he keeps a fair amount of secrets of his own. Everyone is gathered in the computer room. Mark accidentally tears Tavvy’s stuffed lemur and Cristina gives him her bear. Livvy and Ty are able to find an address for the latest victim, Stanley Wells. Julian decides he and Emma will go alone. He points out they need others to work on translation. Mark insists on going, but Julian points out his injuries and unwillingness to use marks as a liability. Mark doesn’t take it well, but checks his attitude in front fo the younger siblings.

Emma feels better with her and Julian in the car bantering back and forth while they drive to Stanley Wells’ address. When they arrive, they find a dog in the house and a dead body in the pool. Emma checks the nearby purse to see she lived there as well. Emma hears something and immediately leaps for Julian as a crossbow bolt flies towards him. Emma chases after the figure on the roof, but it gets away by disappearing when it falls off the roof. Emma goes back to Julian to find he has pulled the bolt out of his side because it had an unusual burning. He collapses to the ground. Cristina finds Mark on the roof at the end of a phone conversation with Helen. Cristina asks about his time in Faerie and he tells her the Wild Hunt isn’t loyal to either court, but still takes part in some of the parties. He is surprised Julian was the one who had to raise their younger siblings and how it changed him. Christina points out it will take time for Mark to get to know Julian again. He admits he wants to look more like a Shadowhunter so he doesn’t stand out. Cristina cuts his hair. He uses her eyes as a mirror to see the results and she finds the experience intimate. The twins come to tell them Emma sent a 9-1-1 text.

Emma has drawn several healing runes on Julian, but none of them are helping and vanish quickly. She gets to where the others are supposed to meet them and climbs into the backseat with Julian. She warns him she will have to call the Silent Brothers. He says he trusts she can heal him and tells her to concentrate. Emma focuses all of her memories of him as she draws the iratze. Emma feels a very intimate connection to Julian as the rune works this time. Livvy finds them in the car together. They explain what happened, but Ty is still freaked out by all the blood. Mark gives Julian an extra shirt he was wearing. They all go to Canter’s to get dinner. Ty informs them the mundane police are looking into the murder scene they just left. Emma pulls out Ava’s purse and they start going through it. They find an invitation to the Lottery in an abandoned theater for one group. If they are going to go, they will need to acquire formal wear. Julian is against Mark going, but the fae sent Mark to help and will punish him if they find out he isn’t involved. Julian tries to tell his older brother he is a Shadowhunter rather than fae. Mark goes to talk to a table full of girls to show off his fae side. Livvy and Ty pull him away telling the girls Mark has syphilis. When they get outside, Julian reminds Mark they are not allowed to talk to mundanes especially about anything supernatural. Cristina volunteers to go with Mark to return the steed he borrowed to meet them. When they get back to the Institute, Kieran arrives to reclaim his steed. Mark asks Cristina to go inside. She goes in the back door, but starts to worry about leaving him alone with the other fairy. She opens the door again to see them across the parking lot kissing. Julian and Emma pull up and Kieran disappears before they can see him.

The Wild Hunt - Mark was very lonely when he joined the Hunt an the others would ignore or scorn him. He would watch as other exiled fairies were made to join. He was fascinated by Kieran, a prince of the Unseelie Court. Kieran was also ridiculed for his heritage. After the Shadowhunters hung fairies for treason, a group whipped Mark because he wouldn’t say he was not a Shadowhunter. Kieran took care of him and they started spending all their free time together. Mark was preoccupied at night and started to forget to count off his siblings names. Mark and Kieran exchange stories of the Unseelie Court and the world of the Nephilim. Kieran allows Mark to feel safe enough to call himself a Shadowhunter.

Emma realizes she has new feelings for Julian as she washes his blood off herself and her clothes. When she comes out of the bathroom, Cristina is there to ask to borrow a dress. Emma tells her about the warning Cameron called to give her. Cristina tries to reassure her Julian being shot wasn’t her fault. After cleaning himself up, Julian goes to the law section of the library and picks up a book. He hears a wailing and goes to Tavvy’s room. He wakes up his little brother from one of his nightmares. He holds Tavvy and puts him back to sleep. Julian reads the laws against parabatai falling in love. The next morning Emma goes for an extra long run to avoid the family breakfast. She goes into the kitchen and Julian points out Diana doesn’t know about the previous night’s events or their plan for that night. They decide not to inform her. Emma tries to convince herself she has strange feelings for Julian only because he almost died. Livvy and Ty com in to tell them some of the writing on the cave walls is an Edgar Allen Poe poem. Cristina comes in to get Emma so they can go shopping. The girls go t Emma’s favorite vintage shop, Hidden Treasures, and find dresses. Cristina tells Emma she heard about her before coming to the LA Institute. People have been saying she will be the next Jace Herondale. Emma says she isn’t special; she just constantly trains so she can eventually get revenge for her parents’ deaths. Cristina points out that Emma still allows Julian and the others in her life to keep her from obsessing. Emma asks about what happened to Cristina in Mexico City, but Cristina isn’t ready to tell. Malcolm stops by and Julian uses the skunk Ty has been hiding him his room as an excuse not to let him in. Malcolm says he is still working on translating, but confirms the language is ancient fairy. He then tells Julian about the poison he found on his gear. Julian should be dead and the iratze that healed him was impossible. Julian goes to the computer room to see Mark frustrated with a computer game and Ty laughing. Julian asks to talk to Ty. He wants to tell his younger brother about how he doesn’t want to be the one responsible for everything, but instead tells him he loves him. Julian remembers when he started thinking of his siblings as his own children. He hears Emma and Cristina return from shopping.

Julian finishes getting ready and meets Emma and Cristina near the Institute entrance. Emma puts on the gold and black cufflinks she bought Julian before Mark enters in nothing but a fur coat. Emma tells Julian to put Mark in her father’s tux she keeps in a chest in her room. After Mark is dressed, he notices Julian chewing his fingernails and asks about why he is stressed. Julian agrees to tell him one thing. He killed their father. Mark says he was there when Sebastian turned Andrew. That was when their father actually died. Emma drives them to the theatre and a girl (Emma recognizes from the Shadow Market) tears their ticket and stamps their hands. They make their way inside to find the guests are mixed Downworlders. Mark leaves Emma on the dance floor to talk to the coatcheck girl. A man who has a blue ticket asks Cristina to dance and she goes with him. Emma and Julian move to the shadows to dance to keep from standing out. After years of training together, they dance easily. When the music slows, they find themselves getting closer and closer. Julian tells her about wanting to paint her hair as she came down the Institute steps that night. She presses her body against his. An announcement is made that the Lottery will start soon and they break apart. Cristina joins them, but Mark doesn’t.

Mark makes it to the coat room where Kieran is waiting for him and upset that Mark hasn’t come to see him. Mark tries to remind him they aren’t supposed to be seeing each other during the investigation. Kieran is clearly upset until Mark passionately kisses him. At the suggestion of undressing, Kieran decides to leave Mark wanting. He tells Mark he can only be with Cristina physically, but he can only love Kieran. He takes off. Julian, Emma, and Cristina find their seats inside the theatre. Cristina tells them the man she danced with, Mr. Sterling, is half werewolf (has lycanthropy virus, but it is dormant; faster/stronger than a mundane). Mark joins them just before the lights go down and everyone becomes quiet. A woman wheels a veiled object out onto the stage. She reveals a lottery machine. The number that is chosen is Mr. Sterling’s. She announces he has two days before the hunt will begin. As everyone starts to leave, Emma grabs Cristina to follow Mr. Sterling. They run down the street and catch up to him just before he gets into his Jeep. Emma tells him they want to help him. When he refuses, she tells him they are Shadowhunters with questions. He gets even more annoyed with them and tells them to leave him alone. He drives away. Julian picks them up in their car and they start heading home. Emma suggests they ask Johnny Rook about Mr. Sterling’s real identity. Julian agrees to go with her. In the Institute parking lot, Cristina watches Emma and Julian and thinks of two trains about to collide. Mark gives her the earrings (present from Diego) she lost while running after the half werewolf. She admits to him she knows about Kieran and promises not to tell anyone. He says he wants her physically, but she explains she doesn’t want a loveless relationship. She asks if he will return to the hunt. He halfheartedly states that his siblings don’t need him.

Julian and Emma fill everyone in on what they found out. Diana arrives and Julian start to tell it all over again. Emma goes to her room and talks to her parents. She tells them about her feelings for Julian. There is a knock on the door and Mark comes in. He points out they are similar and both want to be part of the oncoming storm that is over the ocean. Julian shows up and is jealous to find Mark in Emma’s room. Mark wants to go with them to talk to Johnny Rook, but they point out his being back from the Wild Hunt is a secret Rook would be quick to sell. Mark leaves and Emma says that Julian was being a jerk. She confesses she thinks she isn’t any closer to solving her parents’ murders. Julian thinks she doesn’t want to admit to herself that her parents might have been part of the Lottery. The next morning, Cristina gets ready to go with Diana to talk to Malcolm for an interview. Emma and Julian take off in the Toyota to go see Rook, leaving Mark alone with his younger siblings. Emma and Julian arrive at Rook’s house when Mark starts texting Julian that he can’t find Ty. Rook invites them in and steps into a protection circle using the sigils of the seventy lords of hell. Emma offers up an unnamed seraph blade as payment for information about the Lottery. Rook admits he doesn’t like Casper Sterling and is glad his number was chosen. He tells him the Guardian shows up for the kill to harness the power that makes the participants stronger from the death of a Downworlder. Kit is hiding in the basement when Ty finds him and puts a dagger to his throat. Kit gets a chance to land a blow on Ty that makes the Shadowhunter cry out. Emma and Julian come down and turn on the lights to find them. Ty demands to know about the Lottery, but Kit doesn’t know anything. Rook joins them as soon as he is able to get out of his protection circle. He tells Kit not to say anything in front of Shadowhunters. He then promises to give them Sterling’s address. Emma tells Kit to call her if he needs anything and how to find her number in his father’s phone. Rook tells them he will never deal with the Nephilim again. Emma goes outside to find Ty waiting by the car. He tells her he hid under blanket in the backseat. Julian comes over and hugs Ty. He was worried something had happened to him. Ty comforts him. When they get back to the Institute, Julian starts to scold Ty, who points out the is 15 and not a child; Julian has to stop being overprotective and let his siblings do things, become Shadowhunters. Ty suggests Mark can help with Julian’s responsibilities. Neither Julian nor Emma know who to explain that Mark might not choose to stay even if they solve the case and give the fairies what they want. Ty goes inside and Julian admits he is worried about the affect Mark leaving by choice will have on his siblings. Emma promises they will be okay and lets him lean against her and draw strength until they hear a crash from inside and rush to kitchen.

The Blackthorns are all in the kitchen and it is a mess. Julian is furious that Mark couldn’t properly take care of their siblings. They younger ones look at him with resentment and disappointment. Julian tells them Mark has a choice to stay or go back to the Wild Hunt. Mark cannot promise them he will stay. Uncle Arthur appears and asks to speak to Julian alone. Emma’s phone buzzes and she realizes it is a notification from the system watching the convergence. She pulls Cristina into the hallway and asks her to follow Sterling. Cristina knows Emma is lying about going to see Cameron and tells her to be careful. Emma leaves Cortana behind to avoid arousing the others’ suspicion. She takes the Toyota to the convergence and parks near the face so she can get to it easily. She goes into the cave as it starts to open with the setting sun. Cristina sees a shadowed figure on Sterling’s roof and she moves towards the house. Sterling jumps down in front of her and pulls out a gun. He tells her to leave him alone before he runs off faster than she can follow. She puts a tracking rune on his Jeep. She goes back to Diana’s truck and finds she has a missed call from Diego. Arthur tells Julian he wants to help but can’t remember how. He recites the poem about Annabel Lee and Julian remembers Belinda from the Lottery also mentioning “those who are older.” He has an idea, but trouble formulating it. He goes to his studio to think and paint. Cristina finds Mark on the kitchen floor with Tavvy asleep on him. She explains how Julian is jealous that he has to be the father while Mark gets to be the brother. Tavvy wakes up and goes to bed. Mark tells Cristina thinking of his siblings was how he survived in the Hunt until Kieran came along. The fae would still mock him for being half Shadowhunter and came up with a rhyme “first the flame and then the flood, in the end its Blackthorn blood.” Cristina points out the similarity to the spell written on the bodies and makes him promise to tell the others. He asks about her life and she tells him she left Mexico because of someone. She says she was in love with Diego and his brother was her best friend. Both broke her heart. Mark and Cristina join hands as they declare their friendship. Kieran watches angrily from the window. Emma arrives at the convergence and goes into the cave at Sundown. She steps into the circle and it makes her surroundings look like an old photograph. She steps out and goes to the porthole doors. One contains a small rom with a candle-less candelabra, robe, and earrings. The next has an aquarium. She finds a lever on the wall and pulls it down. The aquarium door opens to reveal it is really the ocean and sucks her in. Julian angrily paints Emma after getting her note about going to see Cameron. Suddenly, he spits up sea water and knows through their bond that Emma is in trouble. He takes off running. Emma uses her stele to draw a breathing rune on her skin. She then uses her seraph blade for light and finds herself surrounded by demons. She fights a few off before heading towards the surface. The rune gives out right before she can get her head out of the water and her lungs fill with water. She gets her hand up out of water and something grabs it just before she passes out.

Idris 2009 - Emma and Julian had their parabatai ceremony in Alicante. Jam introduces himself to Emma and explains his story and that he is like an uncle to her. After the ceremony there is a party. Jace tells Julian he will have to make sure Emma ends up with someone good enough for her. That night Emma can’t sleep and sneaks outside the Blackthorn manor where they are staying. She witnesses a private moment between Jace and Clary who are outside the neighboring Herondale manor. She runs back to bed and hugs her pillow until dawn. She can’t picture being like that with anyone except maybe Julian.

Julian rescues Emma from drowning. He draws a rune on her to expel the water from her lungs and then yells at her for being reckless. He explains he almost drown through their bond. He kisses her. They fornicate and sleep on the beach. In the morning Emma wakes up to find Julian with her. There is a set of footprints in the sand that lead up to them and then away. Julian apologizes to Emma and says they can’t have sex because it will lead to them falling in love and having their marks stripped for breaking the law. Emma doesn’t tell him she is already in love with him. When they get back to the Institute, Diana is waiting by the car she retrieved from the convergence. She says she didn’t get Emma’s message until the morning. Julian questions why, but Diana declines to answer. After a nap and shower, Emma goes to the library to meet up with everyone. She tells them about the convergence and the dress in the cave. Julian joins them. Ty tells them the next line of the Fairy poem is about forgetting the past, but they still have several more lines to go. Mark suggests the incidents are happening in LA because they are tied to the Blackthorns. The map shows Sterling on the move and Emma insists she and Cristina take the first shift following him. Emma feels like a rift has opened between her and Julian. His expression seems to convey the same thought. Emma and Cristina use the map to follow Sterling. He ends up at a bar and they apply runes before following him inside. They say they want to help him. The mundanes think he is talking to himself and ask him to leave. On the way to his car, Sterling is attacked by the man in black that shot Julian with the poisoned crossbow bolt. Sterling gets away and Emma removes the man’s hood to reveal Diego. Julian catches Diana leaving again. He tells her he knows she spent her travel year in Thailand, where her brother died and she stayed until her father died. She says she is doing the best she can for Julian and his siblings because of their family bond. She drives away. Julian stands outside the Institute for a long time. A vast crowd makes their way towards the Institute.

Diego explains the Lottery decides who will kill rather than be killed. He didn’t know Julian was a Shadowhunter when he shot him because he wasn’t in gear. Diego wants to catch Sterling to question him. They tie him up the half-werewolf and put him in the back of the car with Diego. The girls ask Diego why he is there. Centurions are sometimes sent on certain matters. He asked Johnny Rook about them after he saw them investigating the murders. Sterling wakes up and tells them what he knows. He joined the Lottery because the odds seemed good. Belinda won and so did Ava. Sterling lured a girl from the Shadow Market and killed her. The Guardian took her to the convergence for everything needed for the ritual. Sterling was supposed to go with him for his reward. When they pull up to the Institute, the Guardian’s followers are surrounding the entrance. Belinda shoots their tire and the car slams into the ditch. Cristina is hurt and Diego goes to help her. Emma sees Sterling rushing towards Belinda with Cortana. Emma races after him and retrieves her sword. Diego and Cristina join Emma in being surrounded. Diego announces they cannot give up Sterling. Belinda insists they are outnumbered, but Emma shows off her skill to show they might not be outmatched. Belinda starts the fight and Emma notices Belinda is missing a hand just like Ava. Julian comes out with Malcolm to scare off the cultists. Sterling is killed and Belinda takes his hands before she retreats. Malcolm points out Belinda was right about Julian keeping secrets. The warlock leaves. Julian says they need to gather so he can tell everyone the truth.

LA 2008 - As the remaining members of the Blackthorn family waited for their Uncle Arthur to arrive at the Institute, Julian hoped their uncle would love the other children. After a few days he realized Arthur was too reserved to love Julian’s younger siblings the way the needed. Julian decided to take on the task himself. Diana suggested Julian serve Arthur meals in the attic where the old man insisted his office would be. One night Julian found Arthur with blood smeared everywhere talking about how the angels demanded it. Knowing the Claves strict policies lunacy, Julian decided to keep his uncle’s condition hidden to keep the rest of the family together.

Julian tells Emma and Mark how he has been running the Institute while hiding Uncle Arthur’s lunacy. Emma says she thinks she kind of knew all along. Mark is glad he came back to his family still in tact. They agree to wait until things have calmed down to tell the children, but they need to find out how the Followers know. Diego takes care of Cristina in the Institute’s infirmary. He asks why she left and she tells him. She overheard Jamie drunkenly tell Diego they would use Cristina to gain power. Diego points out he said nothing in the conversation, but that also means he didn’t stick up for her. He insists he was going to tell her everything before Jamie as going to be made her parabatai. When he came to the LA Institute, Arthur told him to leave, but he had to make sure Cristina was safe. Emma sends Cristina a text to meet them in the computer room.

Diego tells his side of the story. He was investigating as a Centurion but kept the details secret because of Cristina. He saw the ritual from Wells’ death and says the marks were placed to mislead. He swore to protect Ava after she told him what she did and what she knew about the cult. Diego went to Rook for weapons, but by the time he returned, Ava was with other Followers and told him to leave. Diego thinks the recent killings are related to Emma’s parents’ deaths. Dra suggests someone is trying to bring back Annabelle Lee as the poem on the cave wall suggests. Tavvy brings in a Shadowhunter’s children’s book that has the full poem in it. The story is that a man fell in love with a Blackthorn girl, but her parents locked her away until she died of sadness. The man went to the faeries to have her brought back. He ended up trapped because he ate the faerie food. The rest of the poem is there and says they need the Black Volume of Death for the rest of the instructions. They know the Followers already have 13 deaths and will need the last one. They all head to bed. Emma sits out on the Institute steps. Diego leaves to investigate the convergence. Julian comes out to talk to Emma. She asks why he didn’t tell her about Arthur. He explains he had selfish reasons for doing what he did and for becoming her parabatai. They start kissing but are interrupted by the arrival of faeries: Kieran, Iarlath, and the leader of the Wild Hunt, Gwyn the Hunter.

Mark hears Gwyn’s horn and knows the sound is because of a deserter. Gwyn, Kieran, and Iarlath come to accuse Mark of telling Faerie secrets to Cristina. Julian refuses to turn his brother over to them. Mark comes out to take his punishment. Kieran is surprised Mark will not be taken from the Shadowhunters, but instead beaten. Julian offers to take Mark’s place, but Mark begs him not to. Kieran is happy Mark won’t be whipped, but this makes Mark denounce his completely. Julian makes it through two lashes while Emma is frozen in place by faerie magic. Mark points out it hurts Emma as well. Gwyn allows her to go to Julian and she puts a rune on him to make him sleep. Emma takes the last eight lashes.

Mark, Julian, and Cristina take care of Emma. Julian knows Mark did everything he could to try to stop it, but Kieran was determined to hurt Mark for hurting him. Mark understands family and promises not to leave again. Emma dreams of her parents in their kitchen in Venice. Her dad tells her Jem is about to find what he is looking for and will need her soon. Her mom hands her Cortana and reminds her the blade made by Wayland the Smith can cut anything. Emma wakes up and finds Cristina sitting with her. Cristina says she doesn’t think she could ever have a parabatai unless it was Emma. Emma wishes Cristina was her parabatai. Julian comes in and Cristina leaves them alone. Julian takes her to his studio and shows her the room he always keeps locked. It is filled with drawings and paintings of her. He admits he has always been in love with her. He locks the door and they start kissing. They hear Livvy come in to the studio looking for him and stop. After Livvy leaves, they decide they need to join the others. Everyone has been researching Lady Midnight. There was a Blackthorn named Annabel who fell in love with a warlock. Her parents sent her to the Iron Sisters. Diego found Belladonna by the convergence cave which only grows in Cornwall. It was used in the poison put on the arrow Rook sold him. Emma calls Rook to see what he knows about the Guardian. Rook says he never actually saw anything about him because he was wrapped completely in fabric. The Guardian was the one who told him to tell her about the Selpulchre and once mentioned he came to LA to bring back love. Emma explains how all the signs point to Malcolm Fade. Cristina agrees and then so does Julian. Dru comes rushing in to the library saying Malcolm sent her and is watching Tavvy.

Dru gives Julian a note from Malcolm and reads it aloud to everyone. A dark light shoots out breaking things and killing the electronics to keep them from calling for help. Kieran appears at the broken skylight and Mark attacks him. Kieran says he has come to help and Julian demands he tell them everything he knows immediately. Kieran says the faerie magic that was released from the note knocked out communication for several miles. Malcolm has taken Tavvy to the convergence and they must leave at once to save him. They head to the practice room to gear up and get weapons. Kieran tells them Iarlath has been working with Malcolm. Malcolm used the confusion of Sebastian’s attacks on the Institute to sneak in and steal the black book. He killed Emma’s parents as part of an unsuccessful spell. Mark asks Julian to put courage and agility runes on him. They take and Mark insists on riding with Kieran to the convergence . He says it will be his last time riding with him in the Hunt. When the group of Shadowhunters arrive, Kieran and Mark have already cleared the way of mantids. Mark tells Kieran he will stay outside. Julian draws a rune on Emma’s skin that is “infused with brightness.” She has never seen that before and hides it under her sleeve. She heads towards the cave opening.

The Shadowhunters go into the cave and see someone go after Tavvy, who is chained to a stone slab in a protection circle. They are shocked to find it is Diana. Malcolm arrives before she can get Tavvy out, but he doesn’t see the rest of the Blackthorn party. She mouths at the others to run. Julian leaves. Cristina wants to attack Malcolm, but Emma hears Julian’s voice telling her to wait. Malcolm tells Diana everything while the Blackthorns and their friends listen. Hands of 13 killers on a candelabra are part of the spell. They wait as long as they can, but when Malcolm raises his knife to kill Tavvy, Emma leads the charge. They cannot get past the protective circle. Malcolm sends his army of dead followers after them. Ty finds the seraph blades to be the most effective on the undead and Emma lets the others know. Mark and Julian arrive riding Windspear, Kieran’s steed, and are able to break the circle around Tavvy. Emma cuts through the chains and Julian gets him out of there. Malcolm starts after Dru, but Emma threatens to cut up the hands he needs for the spell. He stops the undead from attacking and runs. Emma follows him to the porthole of the sea. Malcolm puts up a magical barrier to prevent the others from helping her. Emma stabs Malcolm with Cortana, but she hits the Black Volume and it shocks her. Malcolm attacks back, but the endurance rune Julian put on her arm saves her. Emma is able to put Cortana through Malcolm’s chest. He says he can tell her about the curse of parabatai falling in love, but she pulls the lever to send him through the porthole and into the sea. Something drags him away and his spells fade indicating he is dead. Julian rushes to Emma’s side, but she warns him they can’t be seen together as lovers. Mark, Diana, Cristina, and Diego arrive and let them know the others are safe outside.

After everyone is safely out of the cave, the entrance closes because Malcolm’s spells are fading. Diego gives Tavvy a draught to wake him. Cristina uses a healing rune on Emma. Julian makes a call. They start to head back to the Institute. Diana offers to take the blame for everything that has happened. Julian doesn’t think it will help and says they will believe his lies. Diana is going to make herself scarce after dropping off Diego and Cristina. Kieran insists on seeing Mark home safely. Julian tells Kieran not to enter the Institute until he is granted permission. When they all arrive home, Magnus and Clary are waiting for them. Jace and Inquisitor Robert Lightwood are also there. They have propelled from Isabell and Simon’s engagement party. Uncle Arthur shows up to say what he knows, but Julian admits they didn’t tell him everything. Robert demands Diego tell him what happened and Diego explains his part and why the Clave was not called. He believes the Blackthorns didn’t do anything wrong. Julian is finally allowed to speak and tells the story and leaves out some key details. Robert cannot help noticing Arthur isn’t in the story. Julian had ordered pizza earlier and says the vampire Anselm Nightshade is drugging it with magic to make it addictive. Clary and Magnus catch on quick and play along. Robert goes to investigate the vampire. After everyone else has gone to bed Jace goes to Mark. He knew they would meet again. He tells Mark to remind Julian the New York Institute is on their side. Mark gos to say goodbye to Kieran. He says if he ever truly needs him, he will come. He gives the prince his necklace. Emma sends Julian a picture of her closet that she has been using to track her parents’ murderer. When he arrives, she explains she doesn’t know what to do with it all. She asks him to stay and they lie in bed. He asks her to run away with him, but she points out he can’t leave his family. They hear Tavvy cry out and join him in his room. Emma cry out in the night and Julian carries her back to her own room.

Kit is studying a book on cons to learn the family business when the house starts to shake. Johnny tells him the Guardian’s protection spells are fading. He tells his son to get into the basement as he steps into a protection circle he hid under a rug. The demons come. Kit is able to flip away from them to safety, but sees his father ripped in half. Julian wakes up Emma and they start kissing. Dru comes looking for Julian and Emma sends her to his studio. They agree they need to be much more careful and will meet on the beach to discuss the situation. Emma plans to tell him what Malcolm told her then. She gets a message from Kit begging for help. Cristina watched over Diego as he starts to heal from a black magic wound on his shoulder from Malcolm. She admits she misses home and him. She apologizes for being so unforgiving. They kiss. Mark goes to find his things Julian put in storage years ago. Ty approaches him to suggest he help Julian with his responsibilities. Mark tries to explain he doesn’t know how to take care of anyone and Ty runs off upset. Mark gos to Cristina for advice and finds her kissing Diego. He is jealous and upset; he thinks he should have stayed with the Hunt. Emma arrives with Tessa and Jem to save Kit. Tessa tells him he is Christopher Herondale and they have been looking for him for a long time. Tessa warns Kit he is in danger form his father’s enemies. In the car Tessa explains Tobias Herondale was sentenced to death for desertion, but was never found. Kit is from that line. Kit doesn’t want to believe he is a Shadowhunter so Jem tells him to open the Institute door (only a Shadowhunter can). He does and says he is going find an empty room to lock himself in. He threatens to kill anyone that tries to come in. Emma asks Jem about the Clave’s hate for love. She begs him to tell her why parabatai are forbidden to fall in love. The stronger the bond, the more power. However the couple mad, become monsters, and destroy those they love. The Silent Brothers and the Council hold the secret to keep people from pursuing the power. Emma tells Julian she can’t be with him. He says he won’t give up on her. Emma goes to Mark and asks him to pretend to fall in love with her to save Julian. He eventually agrees and suggests they start on the relationship right away.

Blood and seawater leak into Annabel’s grave. Her eyes open.

Simon tells Clary and Jace he proposed to Isabelle and she wants an engagement party in two days. Jace and Clary have been running the New York Institute together and decide to have it there. Magnus and Alec adopted a warlock boy named Max and more recently a Shadowhunter named Raphael. Simon has bee recruiting mundanes with Shadowhunter blood to become new Shadowhunters. Alec has been working towards peace between the Clave and Downworlders. The night of the party, Clary stops a territory battle between vampires and werewolves. Jace pulls her aside and asks her to marry him, but Magnus interrupts to tell them about the situation in LA. They leave right away.

Claire has birthday cake at her parents house. She is disappointed because she expected her 17th birthday to be with her friends. Instead, Shane is in a cage in vampire central, Michael is under Bishop’s control, and Eve is calling her an evil minion. Sees the moving ink under her skin and hopes it is fading. She doesn’t believe in magic and is determined Bishops control over her is somehow scientific. Her dad gives her a silver necklace with a heart pendant and her mom gives her a dress. She tells them she has to go to the lab to help Myrnin, who she still hasn’t forgiven for betraying her. Her mom asks her not to leave, but she says she doesn’t have a choice. Her dad warns her of the dangers of being in love with Shane, but she says she has to try to make things right. She takes the only picture she has of her with her former roommates and leaves the house.

Claire decides to go down to the location temporarily holding the Mayor’s office. On the way, she can feel people staring at her because they know she is Bishop’s errand girl. She asks to talk with Richard and an older man gives her his spot. She asks about Shane, but he says she will have to ask Bishop to let her see him. She goes to the vampire part of town and sees Bishop. Michael is in the room under Bishop’s control from the bite marks in his neck. Myrnin is also there. Bishop sees no reason to grant her a favor and threatens to kill Shane to keep her from asking to see him again. Claire begs him to let Shane live. Myrnin mentions it will be worse for Claire is she sees Shane before he dies. Bishop agrees to let Shane live if she delivers a death warrant to Detective Joe Hess. She tries to refuse, but Bishop says he will kill Shane right away if she does. She runs out of the building with the warrant.

When she enters the police station, the officer at the desk asks what she is there for. She says she has a message for Detective Hess from Bishop. When he comes out, Hess has Claire follow him back to his office. He opens the letter, but doesn’t tell Claire what it is regarding. He tells her it isn’t her fault and to go on with her birthday. Claire finds a quiet place to cry before cleaning herself up and returning to Bishop. He tells Myrnin to take her to see Shane. Myrnin grabs her wrist and leads her to the jail cells. She has a few minute to talk to Shane and he promises they will both live through the current situation. Myrnin drags Claire away from her boyfriend and leads her to a quiet room. He stops acting crazy and Amelie, Oliver, and their loyal vampires appear through a portal. Amelie makes Myrnin promise to protect Claire. When Claire asks what they are doing there, Myrnin jokes that they are going to rescue her boyfriend. Claire is disappointed when she realizes they do not have that intention. She tells Amelie if they don’t rescue Shane and his father, Frank, she will destroy all the notes and medication they have that keeps the vampires from going crazy. Amelie agrees to the condition. When Claire also insists that the humans and vampires co-exist as equals, Amelie looses her cool. She tells Claire there are only 800 vampires left in the world and she cannot put human lives over them. Claire says she cannot agree to help them if they are going to continue treating humans as nothing more than cattle. Amelie grabs Claire by the throat and threatens her. Sam steps in to tell Amelie that she is being unreasonable. The vampire queen of Morganville tells Myrnin to get Claire out of there immediately. He does as he is told.

After stepping out of the portal, Claire is surprised to find they have arrived at the Glass house. Eve is there and tells them to leave, reminding Claire she doesn’t live there anymore. Claire takes a few minutes to try to convince Eve that they aren’t all evil and doing Bishop’s will because they want to. Against Myrnin’s advice, Claire tells Eve that Michael is working for Amelie and isn’t really under Bishop’s control. Eve and Claire hug. Eve leaves for work and tells them to get out. They take the portal again and end up in the Morganville High School. Myrnin takes her through the throng of students to a part of the building that isn’t used (meant for Morganville’s population growth, which hasn’t happened). He has set up a lab and temporary safe haven for Dr. Mills to continue working on the cure and maintenance drug. He has been producing crystals quickly and the liquid as fast as possible. He admits he has been studying the origins of the disease and suggests that Bishop created it in order to maintain control over the other vampires. Which is also why he is the only one with antibodies against the disease. Claire suggest they drug Bishop through his food to be able to get more blood from him, but realizes that means they would have to drug a person. They quickly realize this isn’t feasible because it would kill the human before Bishop drank from him or her. Myrnin thinks he can get Bishop upset enough with him to get him to drink from him. They leave Dr. Mills to continue working. Myrnin starts to lead Claire saying he has something to show her.

They arrive in Myrnin’s lab and it has been ransacked. He is surprised at how disappointed that he will have to rebuild everything. He walks through the broken glass and clears off a spot on the floor. He starts punching holes into it until there is an opening that he drops down into. Claire follows him to the edge and he tells her to jump down. He promises to catch her. Upon her landing, Myrnin points out the skeleton she is standing on and tells her to follow him. He takes her into a large cavern and introduces her to Ada, the vampire computer. Ada was previously one of his assistants. When he went crazy and killed her, the only way he could save her was to make the structure from wood and glass that holds her brain. She has an attitude about being stuck in a box for all eternity. Myrnin tells her Ada is how the vampires keep Morganville under control. She can form a presence in places that have portal doors and used that to save Michael in the Glass house. Myrnin takes her hand and puts it against the machine. There is a stinging and when she is able to pull away, her palm is bleeding. Myrnin explains that Ada needs blood to survive. He tells Ada, who now knows Claire, to obey all her commands. He gives Claire a piece of paper that contains the sequences she will need to maintain Ada. He points out that they will be in big trouble if the computer turns on them.

Myrnin covers up the hole in the lab floor so any visitors would be less likely to stumble on Ada. He tells Claire they will have to walk because he has closed down the portals to the lab to keep others from disturbing it any further. Claire wants to call for a ride, but Myrnin insists they will be fine walking. Suddenly, he tells shoves her to the ground and tells her not to move as he goes out to take down a vampire that was sent by Bishop. When the other vampire reaches for Claire, Myrnin tells her to run. Claire gets to the vampire car that was left and locks the doors. She honks the horn and calls for Myrnin and he knocks on the window a few seconds later. He gets in and ends up driving because Claire can’t see out the window. He drives her home. Once safely inside her parents’ house, Claire showers and goes to her room. Michael is there waiting for her. She tells him she already knows he isn’t evil and she had to tell Eve the truth as well. Both say they are okay and hug before he leaves. The next morning, Claire remembers that she has a physics test and heads down to campus. As the TA is handing out the packets, Monica and her crew show up to talk to Claire. The TA allows Claire the interruption because Monica uses her relationship with Bishop as a threat. Once they are in a semi-private area, Monica asks about her brother’s disappearance. Claire points out that she likes Richard and no one is more likely to help her than him. She will let Monica know if she finds anything out. Monica lets her return to class. After flying through the test, Claire goes to the campus coffee shop to talk to Eve. While they are talking about Michael’s visit to Eve the previous night, a boy named Dean Simms comes and sits with them. Claire goes on to tell Eve she is going to try to help Monica find her brother. As Eve is advising against this, Dean says he knows Shane. They both look at him, knowing he is going to be killed soon if he continues working for Frank Collins. He wants to know where Frank and Shane are. Claire and Eve note that he doesn’t look much like a vampire hunter. He admits that his brother was the one that joined up with Frank’s group. Dean and Shane had become friends. When Shane returned to Morganville, Frank sent Dean to watch out for him. Enrolling in TPU was the best cover he could come up with. Though he seems determined to rescue Frank and Shane, Eve and Claire tell him to get out of town while he still can. Claire pictures Bishop killing Shane and takes off. She calls Hannah Moses (new police chief) to ask about Richard. Hannah assures her that Richard is fine, but they can’t share strategy for her because she was drafted by the other team. Claire passes Common Grounds and sees some movement inside the closed down coffee shop. She decides to investigate against her better judgement. Theo Goldman brings her inside with the rest of his family. He explains they are leaving that night. The vampire family wants to take Claire with them. She reminds them of the tattoo on her arm that Bishop uses to control her. Theo’s wife looks at it and believes the effects are fading. Claire points out that she can’t leave Shane and her parents. Theo says they two of their vampires , Clarence and Minnie, are currently breaking Shane out of jail. A few of Theo’s grandchildren speak up about not wanting to leave Morganville. Theo’s wife goes to calm their complaints. Ysandre shows up with Clarence and Minnie. A small army of Bishops vampires follow her in. Ysandre introduces Pennywell before grabbing Claire to send her to Bishop.

Two unknown vampires take Claire through the city’s underground tunnels to Bishop’s office. He asks her if she knew about Goldman’s plan and she admits that she didn’t. Shane is brought in and he lunges for Bishop. Michael has to hold him back. He continues to fight the vampire for a few moments before Claire notices a change in his attitude. Bishop announces that he plans to let Shane go free, but they will first be taught not to defy him. Frank Collins is brought in next. Bishop wastes no time in turning him into a vampire. He orders Michael to take his friends home. Michael takes them directly to the Glass house. Claire tells Michael to give Shane some space and he leaves them alone. Shane and Claire sit in the hallway for a few minutes talking. When Shane says he doesn’t want to stay there, Claire takes it as he doesn’t want to be with her and she tries to stalk off. They make up quickly and decide they are ready to have sex. Shane quickly showers while Claire keeps herself from changing her mind. They have sex and afterwards decide it felt right.

In the morning, Claire goes downstairs and Eve and Michael both seem to already know that she had sex with Shane. Neither makes too big of a deal about it. Suddenly, Hannah arrives. She starts talking about how there is a plan to get the people in the most danger (including Claire’s parents) out of Morganville. Myrnin appears to confirm. Eve and Shane are on the list for evacuation, but both refuse to leave. Claire was supposed to leave with them and have Patience Goldman keep Bishop from finding them through the fading tattoo on her arm. Myrnin confirms they are being held and he will try to get them out, but isn’t sure he’ll be able to. Suddenly, he starts mixing up words. Claire gives him the vial of red crystals from her bag and he takes them. He tells her to get everyone out of the room and she does. He goes from trying to keep from becoming a monster to collapsing like the dead. Claire needs to get him to Dr. Mills for the cure. Claire takes Michael and Hannah into the school and tells them to wait in the basement while she retrieves Dr. Mills. When she gets to the rooms the doctor was using, they are empty and completely clean. Ada, the computer, appears in a ghostly form and tells Claire she needs to find use her bracelet to find Amelie to save Myrnin. Ada starts to fade and says she needs blood. Claire pricks her finger with a thumb tack and lets it drip onto her bracelet. Amelie arrives with Oliver and a few other vampires. She admits that Ada showed her how to contact Amelie using the bracelet and tells her about Myrnin’s sickness. Amelie sends her away not wanting to take any risks and then takes her group to help Myrnin. Hannah joins her outside soon after and says they need to get people on the bus out of town quickly. At the Danvers’ house, Hannah explains that they need to leave, but Claire cannot go with them. Her parents think it is because of Shane. Claire admits she had sex, but Hannah jumps in to say they have to leave or else they are putting everyone (including Claire) in more danger. They get to the busses to see Monica arguing with Richard about going with them. He sends her on the bus to watch after their mother. The Danvers hesitate getting on until Hannah explains they are endangering everyone by not leaving immediately. Claire’s father is furious. Shane comes up to her and hugs her, making her feel safe for a few moments before he is sent off to a warehouse for heavy lifting. Some people go to make sure everyone is informed of Bishop’s mandatory town meeting for that night. Claire goes with Joe Hess in his car to find people on Hannah’s list for evacuation. She asks about the death warrant she delivered to him and he shows it to her. Eve’s name is on it, but he guarantees her it will not happen. They come to an apartment complex and go to knock on the door. There isn’t an answer, but as they start to walk away, they hear a faint call for help. Hess kicks the door in and brings out a high school girl named Theresa. He calls for help and has Claire apply pressure to the bite marks on her neck while he goes back in to look for her younger siblings. No one else is found alive. Hess explains that sort of thing has been happening all over town. They get the remaining people out of Morganville on another bus and those that are left are in the warehouse. Claire can feel Bishop’s pull through the tattoo and warns Shane. She gets more anxious as the call pulls her. She ends up crying in frustration and Shane holds her until Hannah gives her a sedative. They put her in a bed to sleep and leave her in the dark. Rather than falling asleep, Claire sees Ada, who tells her to get one of the emergency phones. Claire answers one and Ada tells her Dr. Mills needs her help. She gets up and goes through the portal Ada makes and lands in the prison were the sick vampires were kept. The cells are now empty. Ada leads her to a wall that Claire hesitates before walking through. She finds the sick vampires in there, but they just watch her. Ada says they will leave her alone and leads her to Dr. Mills. She wakes him up and helps him put crystals into individual doses so they can be distributed. Ada then warns them they have to get out of there. Naomi and her sister (two of the sick vampires) are grateful for their help, but seem tempted to eat them. Claire and Dr. Mills quickly follow Ada back through the wall. As they start to leave, Dr. Mills in knocked unconscious from behind. Ada tells her to run, but she refuses to leave him. Ada disappears and Frank Collins comes out from the shadows.

Dr. Mills is still breathing. Claire uses her backpack to throw off Frank and get the doctor to where Ada was standing. She goes back for he duffle bags, but Frank catches her arm. Her wooden stakes fall to the ground and he remembers that he used to kill vampires. He lets Claire go and asks her to tell Shane that he loves him. She tells him Shane loves him too before she takes the doctor and the bag through the portal to Amelie’s study. Dr. Mills is taken away for help. Amelie has gathered her war counsel: Oliver, Sam, Micheal, and a few other vampires. Claire gives Amelie the bag of supplies. Amelie knows they will need more of Bishop’s blood for a real cure. Jason appears and Oliver is ready to kill him. Claire asks how Jason got there and Jason admits he knows how to use the portals. Amelie is furious and demands to know how he learned. Sam admits he taught Jason as a way to protect himself from Brandon’s abuse. Amelie dismisses them all and gets back to work planning with Oliver. Claire uses the portal to get them back to the Glass House where Shane and Eve are waiting. Shane and Michael want to kick Jason out, but Eve convinces them to let him hide in the secret room upstairs. Their rides arrive, Francois and Ysandre, to take them to Bishop’s mandatory meeting. Claire asks Ada to close down the portal to their house. Ada eventually agrees but has an attitude about it. Francois tries to bait Shane into a fight, but Claire is able to keep him calm enough not to attack. They get into town and the humans are separated by their protectors. Since Shane and Eve don’t have protectors, they are herded into the middle group. Claire and Michael are routed onto the giant stage. Richard secretly gives Claire a silver knife in case of emergency. Bishop points out how Richard has betrayed him and evacuated people from town, but Richard denies it. Oliver arrives with Sam and Amelie in chains. Myrnin comes stumbling onto the stage drunk. Bishop injects him with the cure and then decides to kill Sam. Amelie screams as her father drains her lover’s blood. Claire shoves her knife into Ysandre’s back as Michael rushes for his grandfather. Oliver frees Amelie and the fighting begins. Shane makes his way to the stage and throws a knife into Bishop’s chest. The wound bleeds much more than expected. Oliver frees Amelie as she explains she, Sam, and Myrnin were all poisoned. Oliver gives Amelie and Myrnin the antidote. Bishop escapes through a portal. Myrnin brings up a portal and goes to Ada. She doesn’t want to tell them where Bishop went. Myrnin gives her his blood and afterwards gives her Claire’s blood as well. He asks that Ada remove Bishop’s access from the system and she does. She also reveals Jason and his friend Dean have access to the portals. Myrnin requests their access be removed as well and she complies. She lets them know Bishop is at the university. Michael brings Shane and Eve to them. Myrnin tunes the portal to the university and then all go through.

Myrnin is already gone by the time they all make it through the portal into the college’s administration building. They start their hunt for Bishop by following Myrnin’s trail, but Bishop leaps out and grabs Claire. He drags her to the top of the building and starts trying to take the book from here. She is able to keep hold of it and kick him away from her. She runs towards the edge of the building and is ready to jump off the edge when Michael joins her to get her back to the ground safely. They head to the library and Bishop follows. Michael tries to slow him down while Eve and Shane grab decoy books and continue to run with Claire. Outside, the three split up with Bishop right behind them. The vampire follows Shane and Clair heads towards a statue of Bishop that has a gas jet representing an eternal flame of knowledge. She tries to burn the book, but it won’t burn. She starts ripping out the pages and finally is able to incinerate them. Just as Bishop is about to grab what is left of the book, Myrnin arrives and takes it from Clair. He gives Bishop a page with a spell on it that engulfs the other vampire in flames. Myrnin injects him with the disease that drove him mad. They are all relieved it is over. After a few days of sleep, Claire goes to join her roommates for dinner. They let her know Sam’s funeral is that night. Michael’s parents are coming back to Morganville for the first time since his mom left to get cancer treatment. When they arrive at the church for the funeral, Oliver is there to lead them to the front of the service where Michael’s parents are. When he hugs his mom, he tells her there was nothing he could have done to save his grandfather. She already knows and says he is too much like Sam. After the service, Amelie goes up to the coffin and opens it to give Sam one last kiss. She announces that Morganville will change to make vampires and humans equal as Sam demanded 50 years ago. Four weeks later, Morganville is getting restored and back in order. Oliver’s is packed when he opens back up and Claire and Shane go for some coffee. Monica returns to town and joins their table. Shane leaves to go to work and Claire gets ready to leave as well. She runs into Dean on the way out. He wants to meet up with Shane and she invites him to dinner at the Glass House. He offers to walk with her and she waits for him to gather his things. When they are alone, he uses his backpack to knock her out. Claire wakes up to Dean and Jason talking. Jason doesn’t want to kill Claire. Dean wants to use her to frame a vampire. Ada appears behind them and Claire asks for her help. Jason leaves not wanting to be a part of it. Ada opens a portal to the Glass House. Shane see’s Claire tied to the chair, but the portal closes before he can get to her. The next portal that opens allows Frank Collins through. He puts Dean on the other side of the portal and takes the needle out of Claire’s arm that is draining her blood. He takes the jug of her blood before leaving and Claire passes out. Eve calls Amelie to demand her help. Amelie calls on Ada, who admits she knows where Claire is. Amelie and Oliver take Claire to the hospital, which is where she wakes up. Her friends are there. Myrnin says he has more to teach her and learn from her before she leaves Morganville. Her parents kick everyone out to let her sleep. When she wakes up, her roommates are all there. Michael and Eve leave for his gig at Common Grounds. Shane stays with Claire and she is happy.

Celaena (notorious assassin) is taken from her overseer in the mines by the Captain of the Royal Guard, Chaol Westfall and six other guards. They start to lead her in a round-about path to disorient her, but it really just helps her get to know the building they are leading her through. She tries to make small talk with the captain, but he isn’t interested in answering her questions. They end up at a set of glass doors. Celaena resists at first, but the captain threatens to send her back to the mines. She is pretty sure she is going to be executed. She is Brough in front of the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Dorian.

Chaol bows to the prince, but Celaena refuses. Duke Perrington forces her to the ground to make her bow, but Dorian points out the gesture is worthless if not done willingly. The prince introduces himself to Celaena and does the introduction for her as well. He is curious how she has survived the mines for a year when mostly make it a month. Chaol admits she did have an escape attempt where she killed her overseer and 23 other guards. She ran 363 feet to the wall before she was knocked unconscious. Most attempts only make it three feet before they are shot. The king ordered Celaena’s death be slow and painful. Dorian inspects her body, but isn’t happy she wasn’t cleaned first. He says he has a proposition for her. She recognizes that being out of the mines gives her a greater chance to escape and agrees to listen.

Dorian’s father is holding a competition to find his new assassin. He wants Celaena to compete. If she wins, she will work for the king for six years and then be granted her freedom. Dorian promises if she is his champion, he will let her go in five years. She negotiates down to four years. If she loses, she will return to the mines. Celaena will not be allowed to compete under her own name. After her trial, rumors were spread that Adarlan’s Assassin was older than a mere girl. Dorian explains it is required for her to compete to instill loyalty. She agrees his terms are fair. Captain Westfall leads her to her new room to get ready to leave for Rifthold.

Celaena tries to get comfortable in a bed, but is having trouble adjusting to her room and food. Chaol wakes her up from the floor in the morning and the sight and feel of the sun puts her in a good mood. She gets ready and is led outside. The prince’s dogs approach her and the prince finds it odd. She is put on a mare and then Chaol chains her hands to his own saddle. She contemplates escape, but stops whens he sees Chaol watching her. They leave Endovier and enter the Oakwald Forest. To the east are the civilized countries and to the west are uncharted legends of the dependents of the Witch Kingdom. Celaena tries to talk to Chaol about the King’s future plans, her history, and his life, but he only gives up that is is 22 and has been Captain since he was 20. They stop for lunch.

Chaol transfers Celaena’s restraints to her feet so she can eat. She notices the prince eating away from everyone else with the Duke Perrington, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying the company. The forest reminds her of when her mentor, Arobynn Hamel, found her on the banks of a half frozen river between Adarlan and Terrasen. The guards start complaining about the forest hen they hear a noise and talk about how the King intends to burn it all like he has already started in other places. Celaena warns them the trees are listening, but refuses to give them any more information about the fey and other magical creatures living in the forest. The King banned all things magical. Celaena lost her own gifts long ago and thinks it might be for the best. When they stop again at night, Celaena sleeps in the tent shackled to a guard. When she wakes up there are flowers at the foot of her bed and tiny footprints. She puts the flowers in a satchel and wipes away the prints before anyone else can see. As they continue the trip, she looks at the guards, but none seemed to have experienced anything extraordinary.

The weather changes and Celaena isn’t happy to ride through cold rain. When the weather changes again, the prince takes Chaol and Celaena up a steep hill to see the glass castle. Celaena remembers her first time seeing it and the man she killed days before. She is ready to win and sever her years so she can be rid of it forever. Chaol asks how she was captured. She tells him she believes the other assassins were behind it so job opportunities would open up for them. He asks about her time in Endovier. She explains the guards paid her special attention and rubbed salt in the wounds they whipped into her back. A few prisoners from Eyllwe helped her keep them clean to avoid infection. That night she dreams she is buried alive in a mass grave in Endovier. She stares at the over extravagant castle and can’t wait to be done with the entire city. Dorian watches Celaena with longing and reminds himself she is only there for her freedom.

As they make their way through the city, Celaena notices the women flirting with Dorian and giving her jealous looks. She starts making fun of them, but Chaol tells her to stop. She sobers up when she sees slaves working and is embarrassed to be seen in the royal procession. When they reach the palace, Dorian tells her he has arranged for her to stay in a stone part of the castle. He leaves to go see his father and flirts with a girl on the way. In her new room, Celaena creates a crude weapon out of broken hair pins and string. She hides it in the canopy above her bed. She looks around her rooms for other potential weapons and thinks Chaol is stupid for leaving her with a billiards equipment. A Taylor comes and then servants to help her bathe and dress. Her personal servant, Philippa, comes in and introduces herself. Celaena is not impressed with her or the way she treats her like a child. Dorian goes to see his father who doesn’t approve of his choice of champion. The King thinks someone fighting for their second chance will help him with the war against Wendlyn. He worries his son is too idealistic politically and too lose with the women. He tells Dorian not to fraternize with Celaena and sends him away. Dorian is furious with his father.

Celaena spends all of her free time planning her escape. She has Chaol take her on a tour of the stone castle. She is not impressed with the clock tower in the courtyard that was built around the time Dorian was born. She notices one of the gargoyles pointing at her and looks down to find a symbol on the stone. She asks Chaol about it, but he doesn’t think it has any meaning. He takes her to the library and she is impressed with all the books. Chaol explains she will have to ask permission from the king or prince to borrow any. She writes a letter to Dorian asking about the books and he sends her back a letter and seven books asking her to read those he chose first. She falls asleep reading and wakes up at noon. She overhears a finely dressed woman complaining to her ladies-in-waiting about the girl Dorian searched all over for and brought back to the castle. When the woman passes under Celaena’s balcony, Celaena pushes a pot off the edge and almost hits her. She goes inside and tells the servants to put her in her best dress.

After her dress is on and her hair is done, Philippa won’t let Celaena sit until someone complements the servant on her work. She assures the assassin she will be old news within a week and the prince will be rumored to be with another woman. Chaol arrives to take Celaena to the king. He drags her along in a hurry. She remembers how terrifying the king was during her trial. Before they enter, Chaol gives her instructions. He sees her fear and explains meeting with the king is the start of the competition. If she shows the proper respect, she will be fine. He tells her she looks pretty before they enter.

Dorian joins Celaena and Chaol among the other competitors and their sponsors. The king explains that the 24 of them will compete and be tested once a week and then someone will be eliminated. After Yulemas, there will only be four of them left and they will duel each other. Celaena tries not to look the king in the eye, but can’t help it. She finds him looking at her specifically as he explains he will have people killed for trying anything against his rules. He makes the competitors thank him for the opportunity and them dismisses them to prepare for his departure. On the way back to her rooms, Dorian meets up with them to tell Celaena her new identity. She is Lillian Gordaina, daughter of a wealthy merchant. She became a jewel thief and her father moved to a small town near Endovier to keep her from that life. The girl from the garden, Lady Kaltain Rompier, arrives and tells Dorian his mother is looking for him. Dorian and Celaena have some fun at Lady Kaltain’s expense before parting ways. Celaena and Chaol have pleasant conversation on the way back to her rooms. He leaves her to arrange the king’s escort while he is out of town. He warns her she will actually start competing the next day.

Chaol wakes Celaena up the next day and has her dress in a shirt and pants because he doesn’t know what they will be doing that day. They end up in the ball room with the other competitors already sparring with their trainers. Chaol tells Celaena to pick a weapon. She chooses a rapier and they go to work. Chaol defeats her by tripping her and points out the others will not be following rules. She goes and picks a set of daggers next.

The weapons master, Brullo, has everyone stop to introduce themselves. Aside from Cain, Celaena notices a thief that keeps looking her over and an assassin named Grave. When it is her turn, she gives her fake name and occupation. She is infuriated with how she is quickly disregarded by the others. They are told they will run and be tested in five days. Once away from the group, Celaena tells Chaol her frustration. He tells her she will appear mediocre so she doesn’t attract attention from the others. She agrees it is a good strategy. Celaena stays in the middle of the pack as they run through the woods with Cain in the lead. After finishing, Celaena returns to the woods saying she dropped a ring, but goes into the bushes to vomit. Chaol sees her, but she doesn’t acknowledge him as she goes to rejoin the others to continue training.

After lunch, Brullo releases the competitors for the day. Chaol takes Celaena back to her room and she reads for the rest of the night. When he comes to get her in the morning, she has already been working out for an hour. One afternoon, Chaol allows Celaena to walk around the castle with him. They run into Lady Kaltain and the Eyllwe Princess, Nehemia. Celaena starts to talk with the Princess in her own language and finds out her father sent her to Adarlan to learn. Celaena dismisses Kaltain for the princess and Celaena and Chaol take her to meet with the king. Along the way, the girls talk about the King of Adarlan burning all their books, how uncomfortable their clothes are, and how Celaena came to learn the language. Afterwards Chaol eats lunch with Celaena and wonders when she will make her move to escape. He is ready for her.

The day before the first test, Nox Owen, a young thief, approaches Celaena in the training room after both Chaol and Brullo don’t show up. Pelor, the youngest assassin there, tells them a contestant, Bill Chastain (murderer who eats eyes) was found dead. Celaena goes to the targets with a set of daggers and starts throwing them. Nox joins her at the next target and she gives him some advice. He admits he thinks she will win the competition. Chaol comes to visit Celaena when she is in her rooms reading. She asks him about his relationship with the prince. Chaol admits they grew up together in the castle, but his father eventually took him home to Anielle, a city that has a history of protecting Adarlan from invasions of the wild men from the White Fang Mountains (where Cain is from). He gave up all his titles and returned to Rifthold to become the Captain of the Guard’s apprentice. He asks about her past, but Celaena only gives him a quick overview: born in Terrasen, parents died, she became an assassin, went to Endovier, and now she is there at the castle. He asks about a scar on her right hand. She explains Arobynn Hamel had her break her right hand so she would be forced to learn swordplay with her left.

The next morning, Chaol takes Celaena to the training hall for the first test and finds them room divided by a black curtain. The sponsors watch them from above. Nox approaches her to see if she knows anything. She leaves him behind saying she hopes they have to fight a pack of wolves. Brullo unveils the test to show five targets, each one further away than the last. Chaol stops Celaena to warn her not to show off. She watches almost everyone else go before her. Cain is good, Nox is impressive, and Grave hits all five bullseyes, but not directly in the center. Pelor is so young he has trouble drawing back the bow, but he still isn’t the worst. Celaena keeps her arrows on the edge of the bullseye. When she hears someone snickering behind her, she hits the last one directly in the center. Chaol scowls at her, but Dorian smiles. Celaena is frustrated with not showing her true skill.

After vomiting her breakfast during their morning run, Chaol asks Celaena about the scars on her back. She was whipped 21 times upon arrival at Endovier just as an example. A woman gave her a salve the next morning, but Celaena never got to thank her because she was raped and killed by the four overseers. Celaena made sure she killed those men the day she snapped. Later during training, one of the champions, a former solider named Sven, knocks down guard and makes a run for it. He is dead before he reaches the door. Chaol and the other guards go to check on the dead guard. None of the other champions dare to move. Nox quietly expresses his surprise. His sponsor told him he wouldn’t go to prison if he lost. Celaena wonders to herself what would make Sven want to escape in such a large group during the day. She says a prayer for him and wishes him well.

Dorian is miserable while he attends court at his mother’s insistence. She spends the whole time trying to convince him to pick a bride. She reminds him if he doesn’t create an heir, his spoiled younger brother could become king. She gives him a list of names of eligible women. He leaves the room and starts wandering around to find Celaena in the Champion’s training room with Princess Nehemia. Knowing they aren’t supposed to be alone together (especially with Adarlan’s assassin armed) and goes to join them. Celaena explains the princess sought her out. Dorian makes a comment on how talkative Celaena has become and she scolds him for making presumptions about her without trying to get to know her at all. She then tells the princess that Dorian will spar with her. He tries to decline, but Celaena points out it is after than herself sparing with the princess. He agrees.

Celaena watches Dorian teach Nehemia basic swordplay and thinks about how handsome he is. Chaol comes and reprimands her for being alone and armed with the two royals. She tries to explain it would be pointless for her to attempt escape, but he sends her back to her rooms with guards.

Kaltain is surprised to see Duke Perrington at court. She steps in his path so he will allow her to join him as she leaves. She manipulates him into giving her some information about Lady Lillian and he tells her the prince cannot be in love with her. She is pleased the Duke doesn’t like Lillian either. Kaltain contemplates how to beat her competition to the prince before she has to follow through on her insinuations that she will sleep with Perrington. Dorian walks with Chaol to dinner. He doesn’t think Celaena will attempt to escape, but if she did, it would break the captain’s heart. Chaol tries to insist he doesn’t like her. Dorian changes the subject to Eye Eater’s death, but Chaol doesn’t have much information except that innards and his brain were missing.

Celaena is furious with Chaol. She sits at the piano and starts to think of her friend, Same, an assassin she grew up with. Hew as betrayed right before she was. She thinks how he would have gotten her out of the king’s dungeon. She starts to play the piano. Dorian comes to visit Celaena to embarrass her, but gets caught up in her music. He scares her when he sits next to her. He starts teasing her, but she scolds him saying she will not be known as his whore or be his source of adventure because he is bored. He jokingly asks if she has a secret lover and she get serious. Just before he leaves, she tells him Sam died. He gives his sympathies and wishes her luck at the second test, which is the next day.

The second test is to climb a stone wall and retrieve the flag at the top. One competitor doesn’t show up. Each contestant is allowed one tool. Most choose rope, but Celaena takes a jar of tar. While most contestants follow Cain and use their roots to climb from balconies and gargoyles on up, Celaena uses the tar on her fingers and feet to scale the wall. Grave has trouble lassoing a gargoyle while following Cain’s path. When Nox tries to pass him, the assassin shoves the thief so he falls and dangles from his rope. Celaena sees Grave pull out a knife and starts cutting the rope. She makes her way down to a gargoyle where another contestant already has his rope attached. She ties it around herself and runs across a few statues to leap after Nox as his rope snaps.

Celaena saves Knox as Cain grabs the flag. Knox finishes last and Celaena finishes right before him. He only avoids elimination because someone fell to their death. Chaol is happy she is staying in the middle of the pack. He asks about her training with Arobynn Hamel, the king of the assassins. He trained her personally and paid extravagant amounts for others to train her as well. He charged her and she paid it all back. Philippa later brings news the champion that didn’t show up is dead, mauled and dismembered. Celaena passes the next two tests (stealth and tracking), but she isn’t positive she will make the final four.

Chaol wakes up Celaena from dreaming of being whipped back in Endovier. He tells her she is allowed to go to temple for Samhuinn, but is not invited to the feast that night. She declines saying she worships in her own way. He warns her there will be training later and a test the next day. After hours of his mother pointing out the eligible women in temple, Dorian rushes out. He runs into Celaena, Princess Nehemia, and Chaol. He notices Celaena’s dress is severely outdated and she points out she didn’t have servants to help her dress in something more modern. He asks if Nehemia is attending the feast and the princess looks to her friend. Celaena mentions she has other plans. Dorian is surprised she sounds offended she wasn’t invited. He wishes he could warn Nehemia that Perrington is planning an attack on her people’s rebel forces, but he cannot risk the king finding out he told her. He will continue to try to sway others against it. Nehemia asks Celaena to help teach her the language. Chaol is against it. As they approach the clock tower, they see Cain kneeling and cleaning off one of the symbols. Nehemia calls them Wyrdmarks and tells Celaena to leave them alone. She isn’t convinced Celaena doesn’t actually know about them and knows she is hiding something from the princess. They agree to help each other learn their languages better in secret each night before dinner.

Celaena is bored and unsure what to do with herself when she sees a tapestry moving in the wind despite the window being closed. She looks behind it and finds a stone door. She gathers a few items before starting down the dark dusty passage. She uses yarn to trace her path and eventually finds a sewer that would allow her to escape. She decides she will earn her freedom instead and starts going back. Another way calls to her and she finds herself looking down on the feast. When she sees the other champions are all in attendance (except Cain), she is angry. She watches Dorian’s graceful dancing. Chaol starts to leave, so she rushes back to her rooms in case that is where he is headed. Dorian goes to Celaena’s room at two in the morning to find her sleeping. Chaol finds him there and kicks him out. Chaol is surprised at his own anger at finding Dorian in Celaena’s room. He goes into the bedroom and Celaena wakes up. Favors were given out to the noble women and he took one to give to her. He hands her the ring and she puts it on. She thanks him and falls asleep. He puts a blanket over her and wonders how he will explain it all to Dorian the next day.

In her sleep Celaena dreams about the passageway. She follows the scent of roses until she comes to a door with a skull on it. She goes inside to find the earth carved into the ceiling and the starts on the floor. There are Wyrdmarks everywhere and two tombs in the middle. The first king of Adarlan, Gavin Havilliard, and his half face queen, Elena, have their tombs in the middle of the room. Celaena sees the legendary sword, Damaris, and can feel it still has power. Elena appears to tell Celaena she must win the competition. The eight guardians (gargoyles on the clock tower) won’t be distracted for long. Elena tells her Celaena is there to destroy an evil within the castle. She then sends the assassin away quickly. Celaena runs to her room and then everything goes dark. She wakes up still fully clothed and out of breath with the amulet in her hand. She sees her door is ajar and closes it before putting the necklace on. She wonders how to accomplish finding and destroying the evil in the castle. Eventually she is able to fall back asleep.

Chaol comes into Celaena’s room in the morning to ask where she was all night. She insists she was in her room. He tells her the tests and practices have been cancelled for the day because another champion, Xavier, was killed and half eaten. Celaena pretends she is going to go back to sleep until she is sure Chaol is gone. She grabs her makeshift weapons and heads back to the tomb. Celaena studies Elena’s sarcophagus and wonders why the first queen chose her. She decides she will first focus on becoming the king’s champion and then on the evil. Chaol leads Celaena past the body. Xavier has been cut open and his organs (including brain) have been removed. His blood was used to write Wyrdmarks that are not smeared. Celaena believes it was part of a ritual. Chaol pushes her past the scene and they pass Grave. Both assassins act like the murder is nothing to them. Dorian spars with Chaol and they discuss how it is inappropriate for each of them to be visiting Celaena in the night. Chaol has posted extra guards at her door to keep her safe, but he knows it won’t keep Dorian away. The prince allows Chaos to get back to work and goes to his lonely tower.

Out in the garden by the gargoyle statue surrounded by Wyrdmarks, Celaena tells Nehemia about the murder scene. Cain comes along to mock Celaena’s cover story. He knows who she really is. She knows she will be confined to her rooms if she fights him there, so she leaves with the princess. Chaol takes Dorian to watch Celaena train after dinner hoping it will show the prince how dangerous she really is. When Nox arrives to train with her, Dorian is curious and jealous. Chaol asks if he should stop her alliance with Nox, but Dorian says she needs the ally. A few days later Celaena is in the library researching Wyrdmarks. She tells Chaol about Wyrdgates that creatures used to travel to their world. He warns her to be careful what she says. She is surprised the books weren’t burned already. She ends up with one, The Walking Dead, that shows several monsters and other gruesome things. She hears scraping on the floor, but Chaol shows her it was him with a dagger. She takes a few books and leaves.

While teaching herself how to shoot pool, Dorian shows up in Celaena’s room. He ends up wrapping himself around her to show her how to shoot. They both get embarrassed and separate. They play until late and then stay up talking about books. Celaena falls asleep in her chair. Dorian takes her to bed and wonders if she will be the same after she earns her freedom. He collects a few books she points out to him and notices her necklace before leaving.

Celaena is paired with Cain’s sidekick, Verin, during their next test. He says something crude about her and Cain and then her and Nox (when he stands up for her). Celaena decided it is useless to keep pretending she is weak. She fights Verin without drawing her sword, easily disarms him, and knocks him out of the ring. She walk away and challenges Brullo to put her against someone that will make her try. Celaena studies a tapestry depicting Elena, the first queen. Like her, she will always have Terrasen as a part of her. Kaltain sits in pain next to the queen to watch acrobats. She suffers through it knowing that being a duchess isn’t good enough for her. The queen wants to know who Dorian is interested in, but Kaltain uses the opportunity to get the queens approval for herself.

Chaol has Celaena practicing archery when two guards run up to tell him there was another murder. He takes Celaena with him to the scene. She points out they were in a long hallway and the creature (which may have been summoned by a person) had time to sharpen its claws before attacking Verin. The muscles in his ankles were cut to keep him from running and his organs have been removed. There are also Wyrdmarks around him. Celaena wonders if Elena’s evil creatures is doing this. Later that night while searching through books, Dorian comes to visit Celaena. He asks her to play the piano, but she refuses. She allows him one question and he asks why she likes music. It reminds her of before she was an assassin and wanted to become a healer. She asks him why he isn’t married and he admits he is waiting for love. Celaena points out the impracticality, but he insists he will marry for love. He notices her ring and she changes the subject by suggesting billiards. Chaol watches the champions’ sponsors that night at dinner. He notices occasionally Duke Perrington’s expression would become black and his eyes dark. Chaol also notices Kaltain watches the Duke in a cold, calculating manner, but doesn’t seem to notice the change.

Celaena is woken up by a visit from Elena. She doesn’t have much information, but tells Celaena to keep an eye on her right. Celaena looks over to see the tapestry that hides the passage to the tomb. When she looks back, Elena is gone. The next morning is another test. The champions are to put goblets in order from least deadly to most based on the poison inside. Celaena looks to her right and see Pelor holding the same two glasses she is trying to decide between. He puts water as the most dangerous and wine as the least. He gives her a nod. She remembers Pelor saying he specializes in poisons and follows his lead. They are the only winners of the challenge.

Celaena isn’t sleeping well as more champions are murdered. She continues to teach Nehemia the common tongue, reading, and writing. While they are walking one day, Nehemia takes Celaena to the kennels where Dorian is playing with a litter of mutts. Celaena asks about one that stays off by itself. Dorian explains it will have to be killed because it doesn’t get along with humans or other dogs. Celaena is offended by this and the prince promises to find the puppy a home. As they leave Dorian behind, Nehemia comments on the connection Celaena seems to have with him. Celaena blows it off. After they separate, Cain comes up to Celaena holding his throat. He says nothing. He runs away down the hall looking over his shoulder at nothing. Celaena goes to her own room and sends messages to Nox and Pelor not to leave their own rooms that night or let anyone in.

Kaltain is caught off guard while smoking a pipe of opium when Duke Perrington arrives for a visit. He mentions the prince was with Celaena. Kaltain convinces him they must dig up dirt on her alias, Lillian, to prove she is not worthy. He agrees. Nehemia comes to Celaena’s room in tears. Five hundred Eyllwe rebels were captured. Some tried to escape during transport and all were killed. Celaena holds the princess and tries to comfort her.

Celaena experiences the effects of her monthly cycle returning as she is no longer malnourished. Chaol comes to ask her a question, but her nausea gets the better of her and she vomits all over the floor. She tells him what is going on and he leaves quickly without asking his question. Dorian comes by later because Chaol told him about her condition. He tells her to call him by his first name after she throws a book at him (meant in a teasing manner). He apologizes for the atrocities his father committed. He admits he is ashamed, but not yet brave enough to go against his father. Celaena promises she doesn’t hate the prince. He kisses her cheek before he leaves.

Chaol watches Dorian walking with Celaena and wonders how he has grown to trust her enough to leave her alone with the prince. Dorian notices Celaena’s amulet and says it looks like the Eye of Elena (first queen wore for protection against the Dark Lord). Later while reading in her room, Celaena drops her book in surprise when Philippa enters the room. The assassin reaches under her bed to retrieve her book and finds a spiral of Wyrdmarks written in chalk. She washes them off the floor and heads to the library. She finds Nehemia there reading an advanced book. When Celaena questions her about it, Nehemia tells her not to assume things and leaves. Celaena finds a piece of paper with a Wyrdmark on it and wonders if Nehemia is the one killing champions.

Over the next few weeks more tests occur and there are only five champions left. Celaena spends all her spare time studying Wyrdmarks. She wakes up on Yulemas to find a bag of candy on her pillow and makes a mess eating it. Philippa comes in and scolds her as she helps the assassin prepare for ceremony. Dorian arrives and gives her the troubled puppy as a gift. Celaena insists she is trained while she is also training during the day, but will stay with her at night. Celaena starts to think Nehemia will attack during the ball and decides she must go in disguise to protect Chaol and Dorian. Chaol comes to escort her to the ceremony. She wonders what he will do to punish her when he recognizes her through his mask.

Celaena stands up in the pew to get a better look at the people gathered. Chaol has her sit down. When the priestess starts the ceremony, Celaena falls asleep. Chaol wakes her. Up after all the readings, prayers, and songs are complete. Children blindfolded and dressed as gods wonder the aisles to hand out gifts that represent each gods’ blessing. Duke Perrington gets the god of War’s gift. Celaena receives the goddess of hunt and maidens. She offers the solid gold arrow to Chaol knowing she is not allowed to have it. He refuses saying he doesn’t want to upset the gods by taking it away from her.

Philippa helps Celaena get ready for the ball and the assassin promises to take all of the blame. One of the guards, Ress, walks her down to the ball. She enters through the main entrance and everyone stares. Dorian wants to go to her, but is shocked by her arrival. Chaol meets her at the bottom of the stairs and leads her to a private alcove. He scolds her for showing up and she points out she can’t be the king’s champion if she can’t be trusted. He allows her to stay and she watches Nehemia as the princess sits next to the king. Nehemia leaves early and briefly talks to Celaena in a fake, heavy accent before departing. Chaol notices their odd behavior. Celaena asks him to dance, but Chaol doesn’t want to draw attention to her. Dorian, who has been doing his best to ignore her all night, finally approaches and asks her to dance. Chaol repeats his concern, but they both blow him off. Celaena forgets about Chaol as she dances with Dorian. She wants the prince.

A man named Otho comes up to Chaos to get information about Celaena. Chaol only gives him her alias. Otho says it looks like the prince is in love. Kaltain hates Celaena as she continues to plot her way to the crown. She knows Celaena will have to be removed. Late that night, Celaena slips away from the ball when Dorian goes to get a drink. Ress uses back hallways to escort her back to her room. Dorian is there waiting for her. They go inside and he starts kissing her. She suddenly remembers who they both are and tells him she has to go to bed alone. He kisses her again before leaving. As he walks back to his own room, Dorian swears he will make it work for them. Celaena goes out to her balcony, but never sees Chaol watching her from below. He knows she isn’t thinking of him.

Celaena sleeps in until one in the afternoon. Her puppy wakes her up and Dorian is there soon after. He acts nonchalant about the previous night. She names the dog Fleetfoot and then goes to change while Dorian waits on her bed. Kaltain walks with Duke Perrington. He tells her all about Celaena’s true identity. He suggests Kaltain represent the goddess during the ceremony the champions will attend and serve Celaena wine with enough bloodline to make her a bit crazy and show how dangerous she really is. His black ring seems to pulse with her headache. She focuses on how the prince will be hers if Celaena is out of the way.

That night Celaena can’t sleep and continues to study the Wyrdmarks. She finds a note written in a book next to the symbols found by the bodies of murdered champions. The symbols are to sacrifice to ridderak so the person gains the strength of the one killed. Celaena decides Nehemia might be keeping the beast in the secret passageways and goes to investigate. She eventually hears a man speaking in a language she doesn’t recognize. She looks into the room to find Cain.

Cain Detects Celaena and is easily able to disarm her. He leaves her in the room with the summoned ridderak. It leaps for her, but Celaena is prepared and is able to maneuver away. She heads back into the secret passageway and races to the tomb. The ridderak passes the entrance at first which gives Celaena the chance to grab Gavin’s sword, Damaris. She thrusts the sword at the creature’s face as it leaps at her. She kills it, but has to remove the teeth from around her hand. She replaces the sword and makes her way back to her rooms where she collapses on the floor. Nehemia finds her and takes her to the bathtub to clean her up. Celaena’s hand is freezing and the cold is spreading through her body. She sees Wyrdmarks on her skin and hears Nehemia speak in a language she doesn’t recognize.

Celaena wakes up three hours later with Nehemia still watching over her. She tells the princess almost everything, but leaves out Cain and the ridderak. She admits she is troubled about killing for the king that took everything from her. Nehemia gives her a new name: Elentiya, the spirit that could not be broken. Chaol notices how quiet Celaena is and asks if it is because of Dorian. She admits she hasn’t seen him since the previous morning. He warns her to be smart about her interactions with the prince. After training for a while, Chaol and Celaena joke with each other as they walk through the halls. They end up running into the king.

Celaena can feel the weight of the king’s stare as he studies her and then quickly moves on. Chaol notices how small she becomes when the king is present. She stays quiet through lunch while Chaol studies the king’s report. The captain is disturbed by the lack of detail in the report since the king returned alone. The rest of his party died on the journey. His mind shifts back to Celaena, who he knows won’t survive another year in Endovier. Still he worries about being the one to retrain the world’s greatest assassin and then letting her loose on Andover.

During training, Celaena gives Nox a few hints about who she really is. He puts them together easily and she tells him it would be best if he left since there is no horrible consequence to him losing the competition. He leaves that night. As Kaltain makes her way to the Great Hall to meet Duke Perrington for dinner, she passes Cain. She hears wings, but decides she probably smoked too much opium and continues on her way. The prince comes to play chess with Celaena in her room. She hesitates before kissing him. They kiss for hours and she contemplates asking him to stay knowing Cain won’t hurt Dorian. She lets him go not wanting him to be there in case Cain or another beast shows up. In the little sleep she gets, Celaena dreams of being chased through the woods by a demon on horseback. In the morning she learns the last test is cancelled due to Nox’s departure. Cain, Graves, Renault and she will fight the next day.

Dorian goes out hunting to clear his head. He comes to the realization he doesn’t want anyone else but Celaena. The assassin has her guards send away any visitors as she thinks she will face Cain and doesn’t know if it would be the most honorable: to die in battle, return to Endovier or win. She realizes she wants to stay at the castle because of the friends she has made, but worries what the king will make her do.

Kaltain uses her red cloud and Duke Perrington’s kiss on her hand to hid the poisoning of Celaena’s wine glass. Everyone is surprised the duels will take place outside in the cold by the clocktower. Chaol tells her it was a last minute decision. The king announces Cain and Renault will fight first. Cain defeats Renault in less than three minutes and the mercenary leaves. Chaol offers Celaena his own sword to fight Grave. Nehemia offers the assassin her staff. Celaena likes the idea of defeating the Ardarlan’s using the iron-tipped Eyllwe weapon and accepts it. She meets Grave in the ring.

Celaena is easily able to maneuver around Grave and defeat him with the iron tip of the staff at his throat. The king has Kaltain server the two winners wine and then has them face each other immediately after. It isn’t long before Celaena feels nauseous and weak. Both Dorian and Chaol can see something isn’t right. Celaena tries to continue to fight even after her staff is broken. She knows Can is toying with her. He slams her against the clocktower and the darkness comes. She kicks and screams at the winged creatures that attack her. She is able to get out of the hallucination briefly and hits Cain. He reaches for her throat, but instead tears off the amulet. He drops it and the monsters come for her.

Dorian wants to help Celaena, but knows he can’t stop the massacre; only his father can. He sees Chaol is struggling with Celaena’s defeat as well. Nehemia steps to the outside of the ring and starts moving her arm drawing something in the air. Celaena sees the demons and Cain coming after her and she knows she is going to die. Suddenly, Elena is there and fights off the creatures. She tells Celaena that she cannot save her, but she can take the poison away. She has the assassin reach for the staff and when she grabs it, the worlds slowly starts coming back to her. Elena tells her that once the poison is gone, she will not be able to see her anymore. Elena draws something on her forehead while telling Celaena to stand as she slowly fades away. Celaena ends up working through the pain to stand on her feet.

Pushing aside the pain, Celaena stands before Cain, who can see the mark on her forehead. He attacks her, but she is able to dodge and puts the staff into his side. She takes him down and puts the sharp end to his throat. She holds it there until the king announces she is the winner. She starts making her way towards Nehemia, who collapses. Celaena doesn’t make it there before her body gives out from the pain. Dorian runs to her and she starts laughing through her tears. Dorian curses himself for not speaking up sooner when Celaena was clearly drugged. He calls for a healer. He looks at Duke Perrington and Kaltain, who were the obvious suspects on who poisoned his champion. The king and Cain exchange a nod and Cain pulls out a dagger. Chaol sees this and stabs him in the heart. He is shocked at what he has done and is taken inside. Dorian listens to Celaena’s incoherent ramblings before picking her up and taking her inside with the physician following. He promises he will tear the world apart if he has to in order to be with her. Kaltain looses her temper and is furious that Cain lost. She asks Perrington about it, but he speaks of her poisoning the assassin loud enough for the entire council to hear. He pretends that he knows nothing about it and she is taken away.

Dorian confronts his father for the first time. He first sees what the king’s plan is for dealing with Chaol. The king says it is not worth him losing a very capable captain over an assassin, though he does not approve of his actions. Dorian then asks his father’s plan for Celaena. The king is still not convinced that she will make a worthy champion. Dorian slips up and gives away that he cares about her. He then tells his father that using Nehemia as a hostage might lead to full on rebellion. He suggests it might be better to make her into a friend and use that friendship to take over Eyllwe. The king agrees to have Duke Perrington stop his plans. Nehemia comes to visit Celaena in her room while she recovers from the fight. The princess explains that her family completely understand the Wyrdmarks and only use them in dire emergencies. Unfortunately, those who have used them in the past have mostly chosen evil over good, so they keep their ability secret. She was the one drawing the symbols under Celaena’s bed to protect her from the creatures Cain was summoning. She is surprised that Cain was able to summon them and wonders where he learned the ability. Nehemia spent a lot of time sending his summoned creatures back to where they came from because Cain didn’t have the ability to control the beasts in order to send them back. She was surprised when Celaena was able to see the Otherworld creatures because of the bloodbane and explains that Elena was the one that answered her call for help. She has seen the Wyrdmark that appeared on Celaena’s head, but isn’t sure what it means. However, she doesn’t think the king is concerned about it or he would have asked her about it already. Nehemia admits she is there to learn about the king’s plans for Eyllwe and will risk anything to help her country. She promises not to drag Celaena into the middle of it, but knows their paths are most likely intertwined. They agree not to keep secrets and Celaena promises to tell the rest of her story when she is better. Nehemia gives Celaena her amulet before leaving.

Celaena sleeps until the next day. Dorian comes to visit and apologizes for not being the one to save her. He hasn’t been able to sleep knowing that he should have stopped the duel as soon as he realized she was poisoned. She points out she would have been disqualified if she had, so she is glad he didn’t. He lays down with her and they intertwine themselves. He says the competition was frivolous but is glad it brought her into his life. The king lets Duke Perrington wait on him while he contemplates the meaning of the Wyrdmark that appeared on the assassin’s head. He is well versed in the language, but has never seen that particular one before. He wonders if it is a prophecy, which will mean he will have to hang her. He discusses the use of the black rings with Perrington. They used Kaltain to experiment with the mind and emotions and Cain the body. Perrington did have to hold back some on his use of the ring when Kaltain started showing symptoms (headaches). The king promises she won’t be kept in the dungeons forever. They agree they will have to use the newfound power on more subjects. He tells the duke to stop pushing his plan to use Nehemia as a hostage because it is arousing suspicion.

Over the next week, Dorian and Nehemia come to visit Celaena often. She is reading in her nightgown when Chaol comes in for the first time since the duel. She walks up to him and thanks him for saving her life multiple times. She reminds him that she also had a first kill once and it was hard for her. He tells her he is more worried at how easy it was. As he starts to leave, she hugs him. When he hugs her back, she wishes they could stay like that. Dorian arrives and Chaol takes off quickly. Dorian tells her the king finally has her contract ready. She tells the prince she can’t be with him not only because of the position, but because she plans to leave after her four years of service. He agrees to remain friends with her before leaving. Celaena stares out the window and contemplates her freedom.

Chaol searches for Dorian in order to explain the hug between him and Celaena. He goes to her room and she tells him she ended it with the prince. He wonders if his soul will survive after killing a person as her seems to. He sits with her for dinner and asks how Cain know about her parents’ death. She tells him how she crawled into bed and awoke to find them dead in the morning. Arobynn Hamel found her shortly after. Celaena dreams of Elena in the tomb. The first queen tells her she has the ability to be great and she is right where she needs to be for now. Celaena thanks her for saving her life. Elena says, “blood ties can’t be broken.”

Celaena goes in front of the king to sign her contract. He warns her that if she is caught, she is to deny any connection to him. She understands. He also tells her that if she fails to complete or return from a mission, he will kill Chaol. If it continues, he will kill Nehemia and then the princess’ entire family. Celaena signs the contract and is dismissed. Chaol has her first mission, but she tells him to tell her the next day.

Meg Murray has three younger brothers (Sandy and Dennys 10; Charles Wallace 5). The twins keep decent grades at school and seem to be normal. Meg is called unattractive and stupid. Before her father left, he told her that he and her mother had given Meg and Charles tests. They are smarter than normal children, but will develop in their own time. Thinking about her father makes Meg want to cry. She isn’t sure when he will be back and it bothers her that people around town talk about it. She hears the dog, Fortinbras, barking and goes down to the kitchen. Charles is already there and heating up milk for hot chocolate. When Meg checks on the pan, she sees there is enough for two. Their mother joins them and Charles gets up to make both of them sandwiches. Mrs. Murray says she got a call from the boy’s mother that Meg had gotten into a fight with (he had insulted Charles). Mrs. Murray wishes she could help Meg somehow. Charles suggests Mrs. Whatsit might be able to help. He explains she lives in the old “haunted house” and he met her when he was walking Fortinbras and he took off. Suddenly, Fortinbras starts growling at the door that leads to Mrs. Murray’s lab. Mrs. Murray goes to check the door on the other side of her lab that leads outside and comes back with Mrs. Whatsit. She is offered a sandwich and asks for Russian caviar, but Charles denies her because they are saving it for Mrs. Murray’s birthday. Meg makes her tuna salad sandwich. Mrs. Murray helps Mrs. Whatsit take off her books to get the water out, and they both end up on the floor. Mrs. Whatsit admits to stealing Mrs. Buncombe’s sheets (Meg had overheard the ladies at the post office saying a tramp stole them), but insists she can spare them. Before leaving, Mrs. Whatsit tells Mrs. Murray tesseract does exist.

The next morning, Meg wakes up hoping the previous night’s events were just a dream. She goes down to the kitchen where her mother is making French toast and confirms it wasn’t. At school, Meg can’t remember the imports/exports of Nicaragua and gives the teacher an attitude. She is sent to the principle’s office who suggests she faces facts about her father leaving. Meg says she will believe he isn’t coming home when her mother says that is the case. When she gets home from school, Charles is waiting for her. They leave with Fortinbras to visit Mrs. Whatsit and her two friends in the haunted house. Along the way, they meet an older boy, Calvin, who is on the basketball team. He claims he is there to get away from his family, who are mostly sick. He explains that he is a “sport” (has characteristics different from his parents) and gets compulsions occasionally. He followed one to the haunted house. Charles decides he will believe him and invites him to dinner at their house. He accepts and they go into the haunted house together. Mrs. Who is sitting in a rocking chair. She is sewing the stolen sheets into ghosts in case they are needed to scare people away from the house. Charles scolds her for stealing them. She sends them away saying the time isn’t right yet to help their father. They leave and Charles agrees to tell Meg and Calvin what he knows after they have eaten. Calvin admits he feels like he is going home.

When the group arrives back at the Murray house, Mrs. Murray is making stew in her lab so she can keep an eye on it while she works on an experiment. She tells Meg to start on her homework. Calvin admits he has some trouble with math and Meg helps him understand. Mrs. Murray points out that Meg gets frustrated the teachers want Meg to do things the way they teach them when she knows how to do it faster from practicing with her father. After dinner, Calvin goes to read to Charles to put him to bed. Afterwards, Calvin and Meg go for a walk. He asks about her father and she tells him what she knows. He tells her to cry and she eventually does let it all out. He takes off her glasses and tells her she has beautiful eyes. He is glad the glasses will keep others from noticing. Charles arrives with Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who joins shortly after with the stolen sheets. Mrs. Which says she will not waste energy by completely materializing.

Suddenly, Meg feels odd and everyone starts to fade away. She tries to reach out to Charles, but he is gone. Everyone starts to materialize, but no one is able to see Meg. She feels a sudden push and arrives with everyone else on a distant planet called Uriel. Once they are all settled, Mrs. Which tells Mrs. Whatsit to show them. Mrs. Which transforms into a beautiful create with rainbow wings and tells them to get on. She takes them over stone plains and a garden. Charles tries to decipher what the other creatures like Mrs. Whatsit are singing. She has one of the creatures bring each child a flower and they start going up. As the air thins, she tells them to breath through the flower. They come to a flat peak and watch as the sun sets. Mrs. Whatsit tells them not to look at the moon set behind them. Meg drops her flower for a second and can’t breath. Her face lands back in her flower and she is fine. In the distance, there is a shadow. All three children get a bad feeling from it. Mrs. Whatsit takes them back down and they meet back up with Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who. Meg asks if her father is fighting the shadow.

Meg and Charles’ father is behind the shadow and that is where they are heading to help him. Mrs. Who uses a bug to show that a straight line is not the quickest path when you can use a tesser to wrinkle the fabric and bring point A and point B together. That is how they travel. The three women take off and the three children are swept up behind them. They end up landing on a two dimensional planet and the children feel squashed. Mrs. Whatsit quickly reminds Mrs. Which they can’t stay there. They move onto another planet in Orion’s belt. Charles scolds them for the two dimensional mistake, but they promise it was an accident. They lead the children into a cave to meet the happy Medium. She is sitting by a large bon fire gazing into a crystal ball. Mrs. Which has to announce their presence. She asks to show them their home. Reluctantly, she agrees. The crystal ball starts out far away and starts to zoom in on earth, which has a haze over it. Meg asks if it is the atmosphere, but already knows it is the same Darkness they saw on Uriel. Mrs. Which confirms it has been there for years. Though their planet is small and in a small galaxy, many great fighters have come from it. The children list off great thinkers and artists. Meg asks about their father. He is on a planet that has given in to the evil. The children will have to be strong to help him.

The Happy Medium shows them another planet where the Darkness is trying to take over. A star gives it life to fight it off. Mrs. Whatsit did the same thing when she was a star. The Medium insists on showing the children their mothers, but seeing them just makes them sad. They travel to the planet Mr. Murry is on, Camzotz. Mrs. Whatsit gives each child a gift to help them on their quest: Calvin’s enhanced communication, Meg’s enhanced faults, Charles’ resilience of his childhood. Mrs. Who gives Meg her glasses, Calvin a excerpt from the Tempest, and Charles a quote from Goethe. Mrs. Which tells them to go into town and to stay together no matter what. The children start down the path and notice every house is the same. Each has a children either playing with a ball or a jump rope. They all get called inside by their mothers at the same time. One boy drops his ball and is late going in. Charles decides he wants to ask about it. Meg thinks it is a waste of time and they should just continue to look for their father. Calvin reminds them they are not to split up and agrees Charles’ questioning might be useful later. They knock on the door, and a woman answers reluctantly. They ask about her son dropping the ball. She denies it and says they have not had any such issues in decades. Charles hands the boy the ball and he scampers away. The woman insists all their papers are in order and slams the door in their face. The watching neighbors also slam their doors. The children continue down the road and run into a paper boy. He explains that only the boys that deliver the papers are allowed out at this point. He leaves them when he realizes he is behind schedule. Again the children continue into town. They eventually come to the largest building they have ever seen, CENTRAL Central. Charles takes a few minutes to try to reach out to the minds of the people, but he is unable to read them. A man says he is late and rushes into a building. Meg is reminded of the white rabbit form Alice in Wonderland. Calvin says he has a feeling if they go into the building, they will be in great danger.

Knowing they are in danger already, the children go up to the door of the CENTRAL Central building. They don’t see a way in, so Meg goes to knock. The door splits open and they go in. Not knowing where to go, they talk to a man sitting on a bench. He tells them he is going to have to report them for not having their papers. He doesn’t want to, but he has already been processed once and that was more than enough. He takes a paper out of his folder and puts it into the blank wall. A doorway opens into a large room of machines. They make their way through until they come to the end. A man with red eyes is there and talks to them. He doesn’t use his actual voice, but speaks brain to brain. He tries to get them to give into him by reciting time tables. Each child starts calling out different things to keep him from getting to them. Charles says he needs to see what the man is. The blue in his eyes all but disappear and he starts walking towards the man. Meg tackles him. The man is frustrated that they won’t let him take away their difficult decisions to make their lives easier. Meg tells him they might be less hostile if they were fed. He brings out food. To Meg and Calvin, it smells like a turkey dinner. Charles has shut his mind off to the man, so the food tastes like sand to him. After everyone has eaten some, Charles says he has to try again. Calvin agrees. The red eyed man says Charles will be able to come back to himself if he wants, but he doesn’t think Charles will want to. Charles looks into the red eyes. When he asks Meg why she is being uncooperative, she tells Calvin their Charles is gone.

The red eyed man, who says he is the Prime Coordinator, assures Meg that Charles is still there. She realizes both the red eyed man and her brother are being used to speak for IT. Calvin tells her to help him hold on to Charles and they each grab an arm. Meg isn’t able to hold on and charges at the red eyed man, but a guard stops here. Calvin tackles Charles, but three men pull him off. Calvin tells her it is useless and they might as well listen to Charles. Charles tells them the red eyed man and IT are their friend and only want them to be happy. On Camazotz, no one is unhappy because everyone is the same. He points out Meg is miserable at school because she is different. She admits she doesn’t like being different, but she doesn’t want to be like everyone else either. The red eyed man tells Charles to take them to their father. Charles starts walking and Meg and Calvin hurry to catch up. Meg quietly reminds Calvin that his gift is communicating. He tries to get through to Charles and is almost successful. Charles warns them if they keep being uncooperative, he will have to take them to IT. They get into an elevator and Charles explains he opens the seemingly invisible doors by simply moving the atoms and going through the empty space. When the get to the floor, he opens the door and Calvin barely makes it out before closing it. He shows them the boy that dropped his ball earlier. He is being forced to bounce the ball in time and is punished every time he doesn’t. He shows them another room that has a transparent column with their father in it.

Without thinking, Meg runs towards her father. She slams into an invisible wall that separates them. Calvin starts staring down Charles Wallace to try to bring him back. He comes close but ultimately fails. Meg asks him to try her father. Calvin says Mr. Murry cannot see them and continues to try to bring back Charles. Meg uses Mrs. Who’s glasses to get through the wall and into Mr. Murry’s column. They hug and greet each other. Meg realizes her father cannot see her and gives him Mrs. Who’s glasses. He uses them and is able to split the atoms to leave the column. Meg is left alone in the darkness of the column unable to see anything. Mr. Murray comes back in and carries her out. Charles has them all follow him to meet IT. Mr. Murry doesn’t quite believe Charles isn’t himself because his youngest son was only a baby when he left. Meg tells Calvin she feels like the witches betrayed them. Calvin is determined not to give up and goes to keep close to Charles. They come to a large dome building that pulses violet light. Meg try to keep her heart and lungs from falling into its pulsing rhythm. They meet IT, which is just a large brain in on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Meg starts to fall under ITs control, so she starts reciting the Declaration of Independence. Charles tries to tell her Camazotz is equal, but this only makes her realize that sameness isn’t necessarily equality. Her father tells her to list the periodic table elements and irrational square roots. Meg starts to be taken over by IT, so Calvin tells Mr. Murray to tesser. He does and Meg feels like she is being ripped apart.

Meg hears her father and Calvin talking, but they sound distant and frozen. Mr. Murry explains that he was part of a group trying to tesser. They were not able to use animals in their experimentations and drew straws to see who would go first. Mr. Murry drew second. The first man was gone a year before Mr. Murry made his attempt and landed on Camazotz. He was there so long that he was on the verge of giving in to IT before they showed up and rescued him. Meg’s pulse starts to return and she starts to feel less like stone. Mr. Murry massages her hands to help the feeling return. She is under the influence of the darkness and yells at him. She is upset because her father didn’t fix everything. She continually asks where Charles is until they admit they had to leave him behind or else tessering away from IT could have killed her brother. As feeling returns to Meg, she is in pain and starts yelling. Three strange figures with several arms and tentacles all over come over to them. They ask who they are and Calvin explains their predicament. One of them picks up Meg and says they are taking her.

The beasts say they can help Meg and ask Mr. Murry and Calvin to trust them. Seeing no other choice, they do. Meg realizes the beast holding her is incredibly soft and falls asleep in its arms. When she wakes up, she is warm and can be moved. The beast taking care of her tells her she is not healed enough to exert herself yet. She massages, bathes, and feeds Meg. Meg realizes the beast can’t see at all and tires to explain the concept of light and dark to her. She asks what to call her caregiver and the beast searches her head for an appropriate term. She determines Aunt Beast is suitable. Aunt Beast admits it is difficult to communicate with her because their worlds are so different. She says the humans are limited by their sight by what they can see rather than defining things by what they are. Meg falls asleep in Aunt Beasts arms. When they wake up, Aunt Beast takes Meg to have breakfast with her father and Calvin. She is still upset about leaving Charles behind. When she learns they don’t have a plan to rescue him yet, she is even more upset. The beasts don’t understand her feelings. Mr. Murry explains he cannot attempt to teaser again at the risk of being lost in the universe. The beasts have the ability to teaser, but not to a dark planet. Meg and Calvin each try to explain Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which to them. Meg has difficulty trying to define them without visualizing since the beasts cannot see. Calvin says they are angels that watch over them. Mrs. Which speaks to them.

Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit arrive but not in solid form. Mr. Murry introduces himself to them. He is not sure whether or not to trust them. He says he will go back for Charles, but they all know he would just be lost to IT. Calvin volunteers to go because he had almost gotten through to Charles before. The ladies explain that Charles is much further under ITS control since they left. They all agree that Calvin would also eventually be taken over by IT. Meg yells that they can’t make her go. The ladies point out they never asked her to. Meg realizes she is the only one that can save Charles because she is the only one that really knows him. Aunt Beast offers to go with her, but is not allowed. Mrs. Whatsit tells Meg she loves her. Mrs. Who gives her a Bible verse about God’s wisdom and strength. Mrs. Which tessers Meg back through the darkness and to the hill they had started out on before. She tells Meg that she has something IT doesn’t have. Meg automatically starts walking to town. She gets more afraid the closer she gets. She goes straight to the dome building where IT is located. She sees the brain and Charles next to it. She almost gives into IT by hating it. She suddenly realizes IT cannot love. She repeatedly tells Charles that she loves him. He comes back to himself and runs into Meg’s arms. Mrs. Which tessers them home. Meg and Charles land at the same time as Mr. Murry and Calvin. Mrs. Murry, the twins, and Fortinbras are all form a giant hug. Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit are nearby, but have to leave before they can explain why.

Zoey stares up at the moon and thanks Nyx for her help in driving away Kalona and Neferet. Darius starts assigning jobs, but Zoey is worried about Heath looking for Raven Mockers since he is only human. Erik makes a comment that starts him and Heath arguing. Stark laughs at a comment that Aphrodite makes about the two of them and Darius ends up having to take him inside to heal. Stevie Rae comes out to continue giving orders. She hugs Zoey and tells her to go inside with the others. Kramisha already took Sylvia inside and Zoey should check on her and Stark. Zoey can’t help feeling something is off about Stevie Rae and the other red fledglings, but she goes inside anyway.

Stevie Rae sends Heath with Johnny B and Erik with Dallas to search around the abbey. She goes into the woods to search for any signs of Raven Mockers. As she searches, she wishes Zoey didn’t have so much boy drama and could be more like her and Dallas. Suddenly, she gets a scent of blood that is wrong. She follows the smell to find a Raven Mocker lying on the ground. She goes to call for Dallas so they can move the body, but it moves. It asks her to kill him and she is surprised it can talk. He laughs bitterly and asks again that she end his pain. He passes out and Stevie Rae starts to move him.

Zoey Finds Darius tending to Stark and Sister Mary Angela helping Sylvia into a chair. Jack comes in with Duchess. Stark calls to her and she goes to him. They are both happy to be reunited, but Stark knows he can’t take care of her by himself anymore. He asks Jack if they can share her and he happily agrees. Damien and Jack leave with Duchess. Sister Mary Angela asks Zoey to help her get Sylvia to bed. Zoey thanks Stark for saving her life before she goes. When they get Sylvia into bed, Sister Mary Angela leaves them alone. Sylvia asks how long Zoey has known she is the reincarnation of A-ya.

Zoey tells her grandmother that she felt a different kind of draw to Kalona than the other fledglings, but she resisted it. She knows that she isn’t A-ya and has the ability to follow her own path. Sylvia advises her to do that at take it one day at a time. Sister Mary Angela comes to get Zoey and takes her to the cellar. Damien takes them to the cave Stevie Rae made to get the red fledglings there from the depot. Zoey takes the only flashlight they have between the three of them and starts down the earthy tunnel. Aphrodite and the twins appear suddenly from around a corner and scare Zoey. They all get out of the tunnel and start talking. Stevie Rae shows up and confirms they don’t have to worry about the Raven Mockers. Everyone is relieved, but Stevie Rae admits she feels bad for them because it isn’t their fault how they were born. She starts tells Sister Mary Angela that she can’t believe the virgin Mary is Nyx and Damien goes off on a history lesson of how Mary is often noted as one of Nyx’s many faces. Zoey starts down the tunnel again and feels her soul screaming for her to get away. She tries to get out, but can’t move. Everything turns gray and she starts falling.

It isn’t until Zoey lets go of her fear that she is able to maneuver through the darkness. She is suddenly A-ya when Kalona was trapped in the ground. She feels everything that A-ya felt and is completely content to be lying with him. She suddenly starts to fade into the ground and as she screams a voice tells her to remember. Aphrodite slaps Zoey awake. She doesn’t want to tell everyone what she experienced, but she does to show Stevie Rae what she should be doing. When everyone starts asking a bunch of questions, Zoey changes to subject by asking Stevie Rae how she made the tunnel to the abbey. Stevie Rae reminds Zoey that she had been investigating the tunnels previously. when she found one that was obstructed and was easily able to clear the way using her earth affinity. When Zoey warned her they might have to move to the abbey, she started experimenting. When it was time to move everyone, she used her affinity to clear the way to the abbey. Zoey asks her if all the red fledglings came with them, but Stevie Rae says they ones they previously met were all there. Zoey is suspicious. Sister Mary Angela suggests they get some sleep. When they move up to the basement, Stevie Rae joins the red fledglings who are watching the Sound of Music. Sister Mary Angela tells the rest of them they will be staying upstairs. Zoey is sharing a room with Aphrodite. Heath calls down to Zoey that he found Doritos and pop for her.

Heath starts to walk Zoey to her room, but he stops her and has her sit in his lap for a while. He comforts her and tells her they belong together. Zoey tells him she is bonded to Stark and doesn’t know what she is going to do about Erik. He doesn’t care. He tells her he loves her and he always will, so he will deal with the rest. She lets him comfort her rather than letting him go. Heath becomes her consort.

Stevie Rae goes outside and starts calling for Erik. She is distracted by the shed she hid the Raven Mocker in and is surprised when Erik appears. She tells him to go inside because Zoey was worried about him earlier. He starts asking about Zoey. Stevie Rae warns him to leave her alone and let her rest, but he insists he is her boyfriend and she will want to see him. After he goes inside, Stevie Rae goes to cover up the blood the Raven Mockers left behind in case any humans decide to leave their homes. She goes to the greenhouse and grabs some supplies before going into the shed. She looks at the Raven Mocker and wonders if he is still alive. She wonders why she didn’t call for help killing him before. He tells her to finish it. She remembers how human he sounds and remembers being being as hopeless as he is now.

Using what she found in the greenhouse, Stevie Rae cleans out the wounds in the Raven Mocker’s chest and wing. She binds his wing to his back and wraps his ankle as well. When he asks why she is helping him, she admits that she doesn’t know. She tells him the sun is up and she has to go inside. She doesn’t think anyone will mess with him, and she promises to come back at night. He tells her his name is Rephiam and she introduces herself as well. After she is gone, Rephiam wonders if Stevie Rae is planning to torture him for information. He tries to prepare himself and swears he will go down with a fight. He wonders why his father abandoned him as he falls asleep.

Zoey has Heath leave her at Stark’s door. She wants her human consort to have everything he would if he was a normal human, but isn’t sure how to accomplish that without sending him away from her. Aphrodite and Darius come out of Stark’s room. Zoey reminds Aphrodite they are sharing a room and Aphrodite takes off towards it. Darius tells Zoey that her blood will help heal Stark because of their bond. However, he is refusing to take it because he knows she was recently injured and cannot be weakened in case Kalona and Neferet return. Before taking off, Darius asks Zoey’s permission to pledge himself as Aphrodite’s warrior. She gives him her blessing and he takes off.

Quietly as possible, Zoey goes in to check on Stark. She starts wondering if she should just cut her wrist so she can get him to drink from it. He wakes up and sees her stressing out. She admits she isn’t comfortable about him knowing what she is feeling. He tells her he gave her his vow because she trusted him. It hurts him that she doesn’t trust him with her feelings, but he promises to ignore anything except fear. He points out how exhausted she is and how people can see it. That is why he is refusing to take her blood. He asks her to lay down next to him for a little while and she carefully complies. When he falls asleep, she calls on Spirit and asks it to watch over him while he sleeps. She sneaks out and gets directions to her room from Sister Bianca. When she gets up the stairs, Erik is there waiting for her.

Zoey tries to tell Erik that she is tired, but he starts to complain that she is spending time with all of her boyfriends except him. He continues to rant and mentions Kalona looking at her with longing. She finally tells him to stop and that they are through. He argues that she can’t walk away from him after all that she put him through, but she tells him she is. She sends him away with the elements while he rants about how crazy she has become. She goes in her room where Aphrodite has been listening and now tries to comfort her. While settling in for bed, Zoey asks Aphrodite why she would beg Erik to take her back if she knew he was a possessive jerk. Aphrodite explains she knew things were changing at the House of Night and with Neferet even before Zoey’s arrival. She was fighting to keep control and having Erik as a boyfriend would help maintain her popularity. She knew people were going to die if she didn’t say anything about her visions, but she also knew Neferet wasn’t going to do anything about them. They agree they have to return to the House of Night, but that it will be a mess when they do.

That night, Zoey dreams she is on top of a castle overlooking a cliff above the sea. Kalona appears and tries to get her to give into her desire for him. He says he can give her everything. She points out that he cannot give her normalcy, which is what she really desires. She makes a choice and decides she will not betray Nyx. She throws herself off the top of the castle and over the cliff to get away from him.

Zoey wakes up screaming to find Aphrodite has done the same. She turns on the light to see Aphrodite's eyes are red like blood and swollen. She goes to get a glass of water and a wet cloth to take care of her friend. Aphrodite tells her about her vision. It starts off with Neferet talking to seven vampires on thrones. She continues to tell them Kalona is Erebus and she is Nyx incarnate. The vision changes so that Aphrodite sees from the perspective of people and vampires standing in a field. Those that think poorly of Neferet and don’t believe her start to burn. From there the vision splits into two possibilities. In the first, Zoey starts fornicating with Kalona in front of the field of burning people. In the second, Zoey kills Kalona and the people stop burning. Aphrodite is worried about Zoey’s innate attraction to Kalona. Zoey tells her about her dream and what she did to get away from Kalona. Aphrodite points out that either way, Zoey will not be able to avoid him. There is a knock at the door.

When the door opens, Stark comes rushing in. He felt Zoey’s terror and came to protect her. Aphrodite fills her in on the dream and the visions before going to find Darius. Zoey goes to make sure the blinds are closed and sees the sun isn’t making it through the cloudy weather (which was how Stark was able to get to her). They lay down in bed together. She offers him her blood again. He refuses saying his strength comes from her safety. They fall asleep.

Aphrodite finds Darius with Damien and Jack. She does her best to avoid their questions by indicating that Zoey is having sex with Stark. As soon as she has Darius out of the room, he stops her to ask if she is alright after having another vision. She tells him everything that has happened as they walk to Stark’s unoccupied room. Darius changes the bedsheets and Aphrodite comes to the realization that she loves him. She tells him this and he reciprocates the sentiment. She starts to cry because she cannot understand why he loves her. Darius explains that Nyx sent her to him for a reason. He offers his oath to her. After he explains Zoey has already given her blessing, Aphrodite accepts.

Stevie Rae can’t sleep because she is feeling guilty about harboring Rephiam. She gets up an hour before sunset determined to move him to a new location. She decides that if she puts him somewhere he can heal on his own and make his own decisions about his future, she will no longer be responsible. She uses earth to make a tunnel to the outside. The sun is filtered enough by the clouds and sleet to keep her from burning up. She goes to the shed and notices Rephiam’s blood smells like the darkness she knew when she first woke as a red fledgling. She realizes it is still what the other red fledglings she is hiding smell like. She finds the Raven Mocker and he is surprised that she came along again.

After making her way to the injured Raven Mocker, Stevie Rae checks on his bandaging. She explains she has an idea to keep him from being discovered. She carefully rewraps his wounds and breaks a shovel for him to use as a cane. She covers him with a blanket and helps support him to the tunnel entrance. After helping him down, she joins him underground. She tells him to stay in the depot and she will block off the tunnel. Rephiam says he owes her a life and she wants him to make the right choice with his as repayment. She seals off the tunnel just before Dallas shows up to tell her Zoey has called a meeting. He guesses that she is closing off the tunnel to prevent the other red fledglings from getting to the abbey. Stevie Rae plans to tell Zoey and the others about them in order to keep them from wandering through the tunnels and finding Rephiam.

Zoey is partially awake when she feels arms wrap around her. She sinks into them thinking it is Stark. Kalona tells her she can’t escape the draw she feels towards him and she wakes up. Zoey quickly calms herself down and Stark comes out of the bathroom from a shower. She tells him she woke up falling off the bed to account for her scare. She asks him to gather everyone up in the dinning room for a meeting and then goes to shower herself. She admits that her soul recognizes Kalona and starts to cry. Zoey makes her way towards the dinning room and is greeted by Heath, Aphrodite, Darius, Sister Mary Angela, and Stark. Erik shows up soon after with Venus hanging all over him. Zoey decides to ignore his snide comments and feeble attempts to make her jealous by being friendly. As soon as they start to enter, the room erupts into gossip about how Zoey and Erik broke up.

The large group sits at a table and starts eating. Aphrodite starts to tell everyone about her vision and mentions that there are two versions, making it a double-edged sword. Kramisha interrupts to give Zoey a prophetic poem where the first line is about a double-edged sword. Zoey says she wants to go home to the House of Night to figure it out. Stevie Rae jumps in to tell them about the other red fledglings. Zoey understands Stevie Rae keeping the secret and closing off the tunnel. Stevie Rae tells them it isn’t safe for them to go back to the depot, so she is up for returning to the House of Night as well.

Suddenly the group goes into chaos. Stevie Rae nonchalantly brings up that Aphrodite accepted Darius’ oath to be her warrior. Aphrodite is upset that the news was made so public. Erik makes a comment about Zoey’s slutty behavior. Zoey gets fed up and starts dishing out orders. She tells Stevie Rae and Aphrodite to work out their imprint and learn to get along. She tells Erik to get over himself. She scolds Stark for laughing at him. Zoey thanks Sister Mary Angela for the nun’s hospitality and gives out orders to get them home. She then goes to say goodbye to her grandmother. She rants to Sylvia about how she made everyone feel bad after loosing her temper. Sylvia calms her down and reassures her the attraction she feels towards Kalona is just a memory. Zoey promises to do her best to hold to the truth.

Everyone is quiet as they slowly make their way back to the House of Night. Zoey asks Stark if he will ever talk to her again. He says she could have handled the scene in the cafeteria better and she agrees. She promises to do better next time. Stark makes a joke and she laughs. Some of the tension is broken by the sound. As they get closer to the school, the bodies of Raven Mockers can be seen under the trees. Darius, Stevie Rae, and Erik go and confirm they are dead. Lenobia meets up with them. She explains the fire they see is Anastasia Lankford’s funeral pyre. Rephiam slit her throat before they left to follow Zoey.

Lenobia takes the horses upon their arrival. Zoey and the others make their way onto the school grounds where they find Dragon alone with his wife burning on a picnic table. Zoey and her friends call on their elements to help ease Dragon’s grief. The priestess then looks around and notices no one else is out there. Lenobia arrives to explain Neferet and Kalona’s poison is still present on the rest of the population. The red fledglings, Erik, Heath, and Jack agree to stay with Dragon while the others go inside to help those in the infirmary.

As they enter the infirmary, Zoey and her group are confronted by Sapphire and Margareta, Neferet’s assistants. Zoey explains they are there to help the injured kids with the use of the elements, but the two nurses are skeptical. They walk past the nurses to find the kids that were hurt. They explain that anyone that stood up to the Raven Mockers was hurt and anyone else was left alone. Erin’s boyfriend, TJ, is there, but his best friend and Shaunee’s boyfriend, Cole, didn’t stand up to them. The nurses come in to tell them there is nothing more that can be done for the students. Zoey sends them away. Stevie Rae finds north and they cast their circle. Zoey focuses on sending the elements to heal those injured. Stark has to shout to get her to stop. She closes the circle and falls to the floor.

Back in the courtyard, Zoey starts dealing out tasks. She has Stevie Rae give Kramisha the duty of room assignments for the red fledglings. Darius, Shaunee, and some of the red fledglings go to collect the bodies of the Raven Mockers so they can be burned. Damien tells Jack to help Kramisha, but Jack asks to stay with Dragon. Zoey asks Lenobia to meet in her dorm room with the others to discuss what happened since they’ve been gone. Stark leads Zoey on a detour to the cafeteria and sends Heath in to feed her his blood.

Rephiam has been sleeping in Stevie Rae’s bed. He wakes up and is disgusted with his own fascination with her. He decides to go to the makeshift kitchen to eat. As he slowly makes his way there, he is confronted by three red fledglings, Nicole, Starr, and Kurtis. He tells them he escaped the battle that made Kalona and Neferet flee. Nicole puts her hands on his arms and pushes him against the wall. He is frustrated that he doesn’t have the strength to kill her. Nicole’s palms heat up and she can see his thoughts. She sees that Stevie Rae helped him escape. He honestly explains he doesn’t know why. Nicole explains they are going to kill Stevie Rae and asks if he is on their side. He tells them he is his father’s son. He is worried for his father as he sees Neferet using Nicole to see him.

Zoey is reluctant to drink Heath’s blood because she is not ready to have sex with him. He tells her that he will not pressure her and it will only be about helping her get strong again. She agrees and as she drinks from his neck, he tells her about how she has to get strong because everyone is counting on her. Afterwards, Heath holds her until Stark comes in to take Zoey to her dorm room. Health kisses her goodbye and goes to help Darius. Stark is visibly upset because he had to feel what Zoey felt while she drank Heath’s blood. She tries to joke with him, but he is too upset. She thanks him for helping her heal when he knew it was going to hurt himself. She notices that he still looks sad.

While getting herself a can of pop from the common room kitchen, a girl named Becca comes up to Zoey and is upset that she sent Kalona away. Zoey is not impressed with her attitude and ends up calling her a bitch. Stark holds Becca back and sends her back to her friends, who all glare at Zoey. Stark takes the priestess up to her room where everyone is waiting for them. As they start talking, they try to figure out what the people that were not affected by Kalona’s influence have in common. Zoey realizes they made a choice for good. Everyone agrees that must be it. Aphrodite tells everyone about her vision. Suddenly, Kramisha’s poem is remembered and Zoey pulls it out. The five elements are mentioned and believing will set them both free. The general consensus is the poem is from Kalona to Zoey.

The group starts trying to figure out where Kalona is when Jack comes in and says the internet is back up. The vampire news feed put Kalona and Neferet in front of the High Council in Venice, Italy. Damien shows her a picture of San Clemente, which is where Aphrodite saw one vision of Zoey dying because she was alone. He then shows her a picture of Capri that Zoey instantly recognizes from her last dream. Damien points out Capri was where the High Council was originally located. They are all going to Italy.

Lenobia tells the group they can take the House of Night jet to Italy, but she needs to stay there to watch over everything. Everyone goes their separate ways to get ready to leave. Stark asks Heath to sleep with Zoey while he checks the perimeter and helps Lenobia. Stevie Rae sends Heath to the common room for food. She then tells Zoey she can’t go to Italy because the red fledglings need her (especially the evil ones). Zoey understands and tells her best friend to be careful. Heath returns with food and they eat. As they lay down for bed, Zoey tells him he can’t come to Italy with them because it will mess up his last semester of High School and he’ll lose his scholarship. Heath points out their assignments are all posted online and he can keep up. Zoey agrees to let him come if his parents approve (without telling them what is really going on). They fall asleep and Zoey finds herself on top of the castle again.

Kalona is looking over the edge of the cliff Zoey jumped off last time they met in the dream world. She is confused why she is there while Heath is sleeping next to her. She approaches Kalona and explains he was able to bring her there because he doesn’t want to manipulate her. He wants to show her the truth of her past. If he starts lying, the connection will be broken. She agrees to go with him and takes his hand. Suddenly, she sees him with white wings protecting Nyx. He was her warrior because good and evil are everywhere to maintain balance. He became jealous of her consort, Erebus, and Nyx punished him. He fell to earth and was in constant search of filling the hole Nyx left. A-ya did that for a while, but now she is gone. Zoey reminds him that she is not A-ya or made for him. She has freewill and cannot choose him because he is evil and has only done evil. She points out that he continues to be with Neferet and keep the House of Night students filled with hate. He points out that she saved Stark after the horrible things he has done, but Zoey refuses to save him. She wakes up in Heath’s arms and he tells her everything is fine and to go back to sleep.

After they wake up, Heath calls his parents and convinces them to let him go with Zoey’s school on an educational trip to Italy and then goes home to get his things. Stevie Rae asks Zoey about her dream. Zoey tells her about seeing Kalona’s past. It all seems to add up, but she can’t be positive it is really true. They head down to the cafeteria where the students stare at them. As they eat breakfast, Zoey tells her group that Heath is going with them and Stevie Rae is not. Soon after, they start getting ready to go to the airport. Stark holds Zoey back a bit so they have some privacy. He asks if anything is wrong. She tells him she is fine and trusts him completely. She has faith that he will do everything in his power to protect her. This eases his worries and they continue on their way.

Zoey calls her grandmother to let her know that she is leaving for Italy. Sylvia reminds her there is power in truth and to use her connection to Heath and Stark to keep her grounded in herself rather than A-ya. Lenobia suggests Jack stay behind, but Zoey points out he has an affinity for modern technology and they might need him. Everyone boards the plane and Zoey decides to sit by herself and sleep rather than making either Heath or Stark jealous. Stark brings her a pillow and blanket and promises to wake her up if he senses anything odd from her. She falls asleep almost instantly.

Stevie Rae is unsure where she and her fledglings will end up. Lenobia says they belong at the House of Night, but understands if they are more comfortable at the depot. They could always commute to the school to continue classes. Before heading off, Stevie Rae asks Lenobia about the Raven Mockers. Lenobia is determined they made their choice for evil a long time ago and are unable to change. Stevie Rae sends a text message to Nicole to arrange a meeting. They agree to meet an hour and a half before dawn. Nicole comes to Rephiam to tell him her plan. She wants him to lure Stevie Rae up to one of the towers of the building they are under. Once she goes to help the Raven Mocker, the fledglings will make a sort of cage to trap her on the roof. She will be too far away from the ground to call on earth and will fry in the sun. Nicole checks on Rephiam’s thoughts and sees he is angry. He agrees to follow through with her plan, so long as he can keep the charred body to give to his father. Nicole agrees and leaves Kurtis there to watch over him.

Zoey wakes up as the plane lands in Italy. Erce boards to tell them they are in a private hanger and will be taken to the island by boat to meet with the Vampire High Council. Darius goes off first to makes sure everything is safe and comes back to get the group. They come out into a private hangar where a boat is waiting for them. Erce explains that Aphrodite has special permission to attend and speak in front of the council. She plans to go over the rules with them on the trip over. Suddenly, Aphrodite is in horrible pain. She says something is horribly wrong with Stevie Rae.

Stevie Rae goes to talk to the other red fledglings. Only Nicole and Starr show up and have no interest in returning to the House of Night. Kurtis arrives to tell them he tried to eat the Raven Mocker that has been running around the tunnels. Stevie Rae warns them they will have to leave if they can’t behave if she decides to return to the depot with the others. They mock her, so she amplifies her voice and makes the earth shake to emphasize her point. She goes up a tree to get to the roof. She makes her way to Rephiam and he tries to warn her before she is knocked unconscious. He wakes her up and tells her she has to move because the sun is rising. He shields her as much as he can with her good wing and tells her to think of earth as they both work at a rusty part of the grate that traps her. They are able to break it. Rephiam grabs her and is able to get her to the tree as she slowly burns. They slide down and she opens up the earth for them to hide from the sun.

Erce suggests they get Aphrodite on the boat so they can better take care of her. Darius holds her as she lays on a chaise. Heath tries to coach her through the experience reminding her it isn’t really happening to her. Erce gives Aphrodite a pill hoping it will lessen the connection between her and Stevie Rae. Suddenly, it stops. Aphrodite can tell that Stevie Rae is safe, but not doing well. Suddenly, she is surprised and announces to everyone that Stevie Rae has imprinted with someone else.

Rephiam sees that Stevie Rae is in bad shape and getting weaker despite being in the ground. He cuts himself and tells her to drink his blood to help her heal. She is weary about it at first because he doesn’t smell right, but she finds that he tastes much better than he smells. She drinks until she imprints with him and then stops. They are both trying to get used to the odd feeling of the imprint when Lenobia and Erik start calling out for Stevie Rae. She tells them they will need to block the sun for her to be able to get out and they go to find something to create shade. Meanwhile, she tells Rephiam to go to the Gilcrease Museum and hide there. The house in the center is supposed to be haunted, so no one would be surprised if he made some noise. She promises to bring him food there the next night. Lenobia and Erik have completed their task and Stevie Rae gets herself out of the ground.

Zoey talks with Stevie Rae about what happened. Stevie Rae makes up a story about going to save a cat that was stuck on the roof and tripping over something. She says she was knocked out and tangled in some chains that were left up there. She also claims her bond with Aphrodite was broken because she was so close to death. Zoey is skeptical, but glad that her best friend is okay. Erce comes to tell Zoey the council is ready for her. On the trip over to the island, Zoey started to get a bad feeling about Erce as she tries to take charge of the group and give directions. When they enter the old church that now serves as the council’s meeting place, Erce leads them to their seats. Zoey is surprised by the stained glass window depicting Erebus and how much it looks like Kalona. The seven council members arrive and Neferet and Kalona take their seats shortly after. Duantia opens the meeting and starts asking Kalona about his origins. Zoey prays that he only speaks the truth to prove there is still hope for him. Kalona does only speak the truth, but he words it so it sounds like he is saying he is Erebus. He says he fell because he could not serve his goddess. He now feels like he could serve her representation on earth. Duantia sees him staring at Zoey and “recognizes” her, which allows her to speak.

Neferet is appalled that the Tulsa House of Night has named Zoey as their high priestess. Duantia points out that if Neferet really is Nyx reincarnated, she will have to learn to deal with conflict better. She asks for Zoey’s opinion. Zoey believes that Kalona was once with Nyx, but fell. When he came to earth, he did horrible things to her Cherokee people, but their might be room for him to be good once again. She knows Neferet is no longer associated with Nyx. Neferet is outraged by her claims. She tells the audience that she has bought back Nyx’s castle on Capri and will lead from there. She then storms out with Kalona following. Duantia requests that Zoey and her circle return the next day with Aphrodite in order to explain the situation further. When they leave the cathedral, everyone tells Zoey it sounds like she believes Kalona’s story. She tells them she thinks he can come back to Nyx’s side, but they point out he isn’t like Stark or Stevie Rae. Stark is frustrated and leaves. She tells them she needs to think alone and they all leave her to walk by herself.

Heath knows he has to do what is best for Zoey, so he sets off after Stark. He remembers when he first fell in love with her and thinks of how nice it will be once Kalona is gone and they are back in Tulsa. Instead of finding Stark, Heath finds Neferet and Kalona. The immortal admits to Neferet that he is manipulating Zoey using the truth. She warns him that he cannot have both of them and leaves him. Kalona calls out to Heath knowing that he has been watching the encounter. Heath tries to call on spirit so he can get Zoey there and tell her what he just heard. Stark starts heading up to the rooms that are reserved for their group. Just as he is about to join the others, he feels Zoey. Darius tells him to focus and follow his feelings. Stark takes off running with the others following behind. He reaches Zoey just in time to see her witness Kalona breaking Heath’s neck. She hurls spirit at Kalona. Stark holds her and explains to the others that Zoey’s soul shattered when Heath died.

Zoey finds herself in bathing in the sun completely stress free. She starts thinking, but stops herself. She hears a familiar sound and decides to follow it. She finds Heath sitting on a pier over a lake fishing. She recognizes Heath and her memories come back to her. He tells her she is in the Otherworld and doesn’t belong there, but he does. She remembers and everything goes dark.

About the Blogger

My name is Michelle, and I like to read... a lot. As I read a book, I take notes after each chapter. When I finish the book, I type out a summary and post it in this blog.It has taken me a while to find a process that really works. Some of my older summaries will be short and just summarize the overall plot.